Research — Minah Kim

Do Green Immigrants Foster Green Communities?

Origin Countries’ Comparative Advantage, Green Innovation, and Renewable Energy in the United States

Retaining Foreign Talent in the U.S.: The Impact of the OPT Extension on Employment in STEM Occupations

This paper examines whether extending post-graduation work authorization helps retain foreign STEM graduates in STEM occupations in the United States. In 2016, the Optional Practical Training (OPT) reform increased the maximum work authorization period for eligible F-1 STEM graduates from 29 to 36 months, while leaving the 12-month period for non-STEM graduates unchanged. Using 2012–2023 American Community Survey data and a difference-in-differences design at the commuting-zone level, I find that the number of young foreign-born graduates working in STEM occupations increased more for those with STEM degrees than for those with non-STEM degrees after the reform. No statistically significant difference in these changes is observed in non-STEM occupations. Triple-difference estimates further show that this relative increase within STEM occupations is significantly larger among foreign-born graduates than among graduates who are U.S. citizens. Among U.S. citizens working in non-STEM occupations, I also find suggestive evidence that the number of STEM graduates increased relative to that of non-STEM graduates. This pattern is consistent with occupational specialization based on comparative advantage. These findings suggest that longer post-graduation work authorization can help retain foreign graduates in STEM occupations, alongside possible occupational reallocation within the same local labor markets.

From Climate Shocks to Green Careers – Supporting Workforce Transitions in the Western Balkans

with Kevwe Sylvester Pela, Alicia Marguerie, and Sarah Coll-Black

Working paper, forthcoming.

The Effect of the Clean Air Act on the Internal Migration of Green and Non-Green Workers

Work in progress.

Using American Community Survey and Environmental Protection Agency data, I examine how the 2015 ozone standard under the Clean Air Act relates to the geographic distribution and internal migration of workers in green and non-green occupations.