Economic models of illegal immigration suggest that domestic-born workers avoid certain types of work more because the inflow of immigrants has reduced wages, rather than because the work is unpleasant.

Economic models of illegal immigration often indicate that the influx of immigrants can lead to a decrease in wages for certain types of low-skilled jobs, which in turn makes domestic-born workers less inclined to take these jobs, not necessarily because the work is inherently unpleasant, but because the financial incentive is reduced.