How Do Migrants Fare in Africa’s Urban Labor Markets ?

Luc Christiaensen and Michael Keenan

No 11052, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Africa’s urban population is on the rise, and it is often feared that migrants are a direct source of urban underdevelopment under the premise that they are poorly integrated into urban labor markets. This study examines the validity of this premise using data from six African countries. It explores whether destination labor market and welfare outcomes systematically differ between migrants and nonmigrants, and whether the results differ depending on the duration of stay, migrants’ origin (rural or urban), and destination (town or city). Overall, migrants prove to integrate swiftly and well. They integrate better in towns than in cities, and urban migrants tend to integrate better than rural migrants. The integration of rural-to-city migrants has been more challenging. They are able to work more and obtain similar welfare levels as their urban counterparts, but initially they face an occupational earnings penalty. Together, the findings do not provide support for policies hindering internal migration to urban areas.

Date: 2025-01-30
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