This working paper investigates the export-enhancing effect of foreign-born workers at the firm level. The authors develop a theoretical framework assuming that foreign workers can bring productivity gains and valuable information on foreign markets. They find that foreign-born workers, especially skilled individuals, foster exports at both the extensive and intensive margins. The effect is spread over all destinations, suggesting that the effect of foreign-born workers goes beyond a destination-specific informational channel. The study uses French firm-level data over the 1997-2008 period and a propensity score matching method to address endogeneity concerns. The findings suggest that foreign-born workers can be a valuable asset for firms looking to expand their exports.
