Opportunities Without Borders? The Impact of Access to Remote Work for Refugees

World Bank, Lorraine Charles, Shuting Xia, Emma Smith and Alice Danon

No 210807, The Social Policy and Labor Discussion Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Remote digital work is increasingly positioned as a pathway to economic inclusion for forcibly displaced people, offering income opportunities independent of physical location or host-country labor market access. Yet the conditions under which this potential can be realized remain poorly understood. This study evaluates Opportunities Without Borders, a structured intervention combining soft skills training, freelance skills development, and mentorship implemented by Na'amal across displacement-affected communities in East Africa, reaching 2,000 refugees and host community members through a randomized controlled trial in 2024–2025. Drawing on quantitative, administrative, and longitudinal qualitative data, the study asks whether supply-side readiness constitutes the primary constraint to online labor market participation among displaced individuals. The intervention produced measurable gains in platform literacy and freelancing orientation but no statistically significant effects on job applications, hours worked, or earnings. A persistent "conversion gap" emerges between improved capability and actual employment, driven by structural barriers at market entry: payment system access, identity verification, application costs, and the absence of reputation signals required to secure initial contracts. Longitudinal follow-up reveals divergent participant trajectories determined not by motivation or skill, but by differential access to connectivity, financial tools, and sustained support. The findings demonstrate that remote work functions as an ecosystem: supply-side training alone cannot produce employment outcomes when structural barriers remain unaddressed. Effective programming requires a shift from individual preparation toward system-level interventions that reduce transaction costs, create first-job pathways, and sustain support through the full journey from learning to earning.

Date: 2026-05-28
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