The Labour Market Impacts of Forced Migration Carlos Vargas-Silva, Isabel Ruiz

Introduction

During the 1990s the Kagera region of Tanzania experienced a forced migration shock. A series of geographical barriers led to a higher concentration of forced migrants in some parts of the region relative to others, resulting in a natural experiment. Using panel data (pre and post forced migration shock), we find that greater exposure to the refugee shock resulted in Tanzanians having a lower likelihood of working outside the household as employees. However, employees more affected by the shock had a higher probability of being in professional occupations and being part of a pensions program.

Citation

Ruiz, I. and Vargas-Silva, C. (2015) ‘The Labor Market Impacts of Forced Migration‘, American Economic Review, 105(5): 581-586