Skill Certifications and Migrant Labor Market Integration: Experimental Evidence from Colombia

Matias Busso, Carolina Gonzalez-Velosa, Muñoz-Morales, Juan (), Juanita Ruiz, Juan Valencia and Cynthia van der Werf
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Matias Busso: Inter American Development Bank
Carolina Gonzalez-Velosa: Inter American Development Bank
Muñoz-Morales, Juan: IÉSEG School of Management
Juanita Ruiz: Georgetown University
Juan Valencia: Inter American Development Bank
Cynthia van der Werf: Inter American Development Bank

No 18963, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: This paper studies whether government-issued skill certification improves labor market integration when workers' skills are hard to verify. We evaluate a randomized offer of access to an occupation-specific certification program in Colombia among locals and migrants, two groups with different ex ante signaling capacity. The program certifies existing skills rather than providing training. Among locals, the offer increases employment by reducing inactivity and raises hours worked. The effects persist unevenly over time and are robust to attrition bounds and alternative outcome measures. Among migrants, estimates are less precise and provide no evidence of effects in employment, hours, or wages. The results show that a common skill certification generates different patterns of labor-market adjustment among locals and migrants.

Keywords: signaling; certifications; skills; migration; Colombia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D82 I26 J24 J61 J64 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-09
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