The effect of linguistic proximity on the labour market outcomes of the asylum population

Lorraine Wong ()
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Lorraine Wong: International Labour Organization

Journal of Population Economics, 2023, vol. 36, issue 2, No 3, 609-652

Abstract: Abstract The paper studies the influence of linguistic proximity on the labour market outcomes of the asylum population. Asylum seekers are randomly assigned to a location upon arrival in Switzerland. Switzerland is divided by the dominant language spoken in each municipality, either German or Romance (French and Italian) languages. Using an administrative dataset, I compare the outcomes of asylum seekers from different countries from 2010 to 2014. I find that linguistic proximity increases employment, especially among the earlier arrival cohorts. I find neither discernible effect of proximity to English on economic integration nor differences in outcomes across language regions. These findings provide descriptive evidence in support of acquiring local languages.

Keywords: Asylum seekers; Language; Labour market outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J61 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s00148-022-00906-0

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