Determinants of Poverty Among Post-1990 Immigrants in Israel: Does Age at Migration Matter?

Alisa C. Lewin , University of Haifa
Rebecca Raijman, University of Haifa

This study examines the effect of age at migration on poverty among immigrants to Israel. Migrants arriving as children are less likely to experience poverty as adults because they acquired their education in the host country. Working-aged immigrants typically interrupt their employment, and are likely to encounter some economic hardship. Immigrants arriving at older ages may encounter severe difficulties in finding employment and they have fewer years to accrue pension benefits, thus they are the most vulnerable. This study uses the "New Immigrant Survey 2010-2011" (n=3952), conducted by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics and matched with the 2008 census. This survey is a representative sample of immigrants aged 27-75 who arrived between 1990 and 2007. Our findings reveal an effect of age at migration. Those arriving after age fifty have higher odds of being in poverty than those migrating at younger ages, even after controlling for a host of variables.

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 Presented in Session 7. Migration & Urbanization