The Labor Market Effects of Restricting Refugees' Employment Opportunities

Achim Ahrens, Andreas Beerli, Dominik Hangartner, Selina Kurer and Michael Siegenthaler

No bqjn2, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: This paper investigates whether employment restrictions contribute to refugees having poorer labor market outcomes than citizens. Utilizing linked register data from Switzerland and within-canton policy variation between 1999-2015, we find substantial negative effects on employment and earnings when refugees are barred from working upon arrival, excluded from specific sectors or regions, or face resident prioritization. Removing 10% of refugees' outside options reduces job-to-job mobility by 7.5% and wages by 3.0%, widening the wage gap to citizens in similar jobs. The restrictions depress refugees' labor market outcomes even after they apply, but do not spur emigration nor benefit other immigrants.

Date: 2024-01-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int, nep-lab, nep-mig and nep-ure
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https://osf.io/download/659be3de523af90a6f0b4276/

Related works:
Working Paper: The Labor Market Effects of Restricting Refugees' Employment Opportunities (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:bqjn2

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/bqjn2

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