Vietnamese Manicurists: Are Immigrants Displacing Natives or Finding New Nails to Polish?

Although many people believe that immigrants displace native workers, most economic research finds that immigration has little or no adverse effect on natives’ employment outcomes. An unusual opportunity to explore this question in the context of a narrowly defined labor market is afforded by the influx of Vietnamese immigrants into California’s market for manicurists. Over the years 1987–2002, the number of these new entrants (35,700) slightly exceeded the total number of manicurists in California in 1987 (35,500). Using data for 34 metropolitan areas over the 16-year period, the authors estimate that for every five Vietnamese who entered the market, two non-Vietnamese were displaced. This displacement appears to have been primarily due to a reduction in the number of non-Vietnamese entering the occupation rather than to an increase in the number of current manicurists leaving it

The Case of Vietnamese Manicurists

he country. Vietnamese entered manicuring in large numbers in the 1990s beginning in areas with large enclaves, such as California, and spreading throughout much of the country. By 2000, 42 percent of manicurists were Vietnamese and 6 percent of all Vietnamese workers were manicurists, compared to only 0.04 percent of non-Vietnamese workers. Vietnamese immigrants share many of the characteristics that set immigrants apart from natives: 36 percent report speaking English not well or not at all, and 96 percent of adult Vietnamese immigrants have not graduated from high school. Also, almost all Vietnamese (95 percent) are immigrants. While all states require manicurists to be licensed, the requirements vary widely, especially from the vantage point of low-skilled Vietnamese immigrants. Thirty-six states do not require manicurists to know much (if any) English: California, Texas and Washington offer their licensing examinations in Vietnamese and 33 states allow applicants either to use la