Wage Gap: Myth or Reality? Earning Gap between Immigrants and Natives in STEM Occupations

The demand for U.S. temporary workers has doubled since the 1990s, especially after the technology boom. American employers have benefited from hiring foreign talent for STEM occupations. Despite the mandatory prevailing wage regulations, temporary skilled immigrants have been criticized for their "willingness" to work for lower wages. This integrated literature review aims to clarify the wage gap between skilled immigrants and natives in STEM occupations. This research design utilized a systematic literature review to identify relevant studies, collect data, and analyze data using thematic coding. Findings included two major themes: the wage gap as a "myth" and the wage gap as a "reality." Practical and policy implementations will be discussed based on the findings of this integrated literature review. [For the complete volume, "American Association for Adult and Continuing Education Inaugural 2020 Conference Proceedings (Online, October 27-30, 2020)," see ED611534.]