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The Effect of Emigration on Unemployment: Evidence from the Central and Eastern European EU Member States

Author

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  • Pryymachenko, Yana

    (Department of Economics, Lund University)

  • Fregert, Klas

    (Department of Economics, Lund University)

  • Andersson, Fredrik N. G.

    (Department of Economics, Lund University)

Abstract

This paper contributes to the scant empirical literature on the effects of emigration on source countries’ labour markets. Using a novel dataset by Brücker et al. (2009), we investigate whether emigration from the Central and Eastern European (CEE) members of European Union (EU) during the period 2000 to 2007 has contributed to the decline in unemployment observed in these countries. We find that along with structural changes that occurred in the CEE economies during the last decade, emigration indeed had a strong negative effect on unemployment in these countries. A 10 per cent increase in emigration rate leads to around 5 per cent decrease in unemployment rate. Given the minor effect of immigration on host countries’ unemployment found in the literature (including the studies examining the East-West European migration), this paper’s results indicate that the opening up of labour markets following the enlargement of EU in 2004 mainly has had positive effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Pryymachenko, Yana & Fregert, Klas & Andersson, Fredrik N. G., 2011. "The Effect of Emigration on Unemployment: Evidence from the Central and Eastern European EU Member States," Working Papers 2011:32, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lunewp:2011_032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Kahanec & Lucia Mýtna Kureková, 2016. "Did Post-enlargement Labor Mobility Help the EU to Adjust During the Great Recession? The Case of Slovakia," Springer Books, in: Martin Kahanec & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), Labor Migration, EU Enlargement, and the Great Recession, pages 189-218, Springer.
    2. Jerzy Pieńkowski, 2020. "The Impact of Labour Migration on the Ukrainian Economy," European Economy - Discussion Papers 123, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    3. Mihaela, Simionescu, 2020. "Improving unemployment rate forecasts at regional level in Romania using Google Trends," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Ouyang, Alice Y. & Paul, Saumik, 2018. "The effect of skilled emigration on real exchange rates through the wage channel," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 139-153.
    5. Berger, Johannes & Strohner, Ludwig, 2022. "Can labour mobility reduce imbalances in the euro area?," Research Papers 20, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    6. Martin Kahanec, 2015. "Labour market impacts of post-enlargement migration on hosts and stayers in EU labour markets," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 21(3), pages 359-372, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    emigration; unemployment; Central and Eastern Europe;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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