Social and Occupational Assimilation of Korean Immigrants in the United States.

In the past the economic dimension of ethnic assimilation has usually been studied in terms of occupational discrimination. This paper argues that the economic dimension of ethnic relations can best be studied through a broader theoretical framework: occupational assimilation. Occupational assimilation includes the entire process involved in the minority member's occupational career, such as opportunity for job information acquisition, job entry (hiring standard, screening process), internal allocative practices (initial position, mobility cluster, on-the-job training opportunity, job evaluation), monetary and non-monetary compensation, and chance of inter-organizational mobility. A case study of Korean immigrant workers in the Chicago area appears to support the above theoretical contention. In short, social and occupational assimilation are mutually interdependent. Implications of the findings are discussed, and directions of future studies in this area are suggested. (Author)