Using data from the Spanish Labor Force Survey (Encuesta de Población Activa) from 1999 through 2007, we explore the role of employment opportunities in explaining the growing immigrant flows of recent years. Subsequently, we investigate whether immigrant inflows have helped reduce regional employment disparities. Our results indicate that immigrants choose to reside in regions with higher employment rates for their particular skills. However, perhaps owing to its recent nature or the ability of the production infrastructure to absorb the increase in immigrant labor, the immigration shock seems to have lowered regional employment rate disparities only temporarily. © 2010 Spanish Economic Association and Fundación SEPI.

Regional disparities Labor market conditions Immigrant responsiveness Immigrant location international migration Immigrant workers

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