Does It Pay to be a Bilingual Entrepreneur? The Effect of Language Acquisition on Income Among Latino Entrepreneurs in the United States

Authors

  • Geoffrey Wescott Archon Group, Irving, TX, U.S.A.
  • David Griffith Austin College, Sherman, TX, U.S.A.

Abstract

While African-American and Asian-American entrepreneurs are the subject of several studies on ethnic entrepreneurship, Latino immigrant entrepreneurs are relatively neglected. Previous research shows that non-immigrant ethnic minorities tend to earn more as employees than as entrepreneurs, but the reverse is true for many immigrants. Despite the fact that immigrants from Latin American to the United States have shown a propensity to become self-employed and hold skills that often lead to success in the entrepreneurial market, their income as entrepreneurs is lower than other ethnic groups. This study shows that most of this disparity is linked to languagability. If they are bilingual in Spanish and English with strong English skills, Latino immigrants to America, like other immigrant groups, earn more on average as entrepreneurs than as employees.

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Published

2010-06-01

How to Cite

Wescott, G., & Griffith, D. (2010). Does It Pay to be a Bilingual Entrepreneur? The Effect of Language Acquisition on Income Among Latino Entrepreneurs in the United States. Journal of Comparative International Management, 13(1). Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCIM/article/view/18569

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2010)

Section

RESEARCH ARTICLES

License

Papers accepted become the copyright of the journal, unless otherwise specifically agreed.