The gendered impact of migrants’ remittances on Morocco’s labour market: empirical evidence using propensity score matching

This article examines the impact of migrants’ remittances on the heterogeneity of Morocco's labour market, with a particular focus on their effect on gender inequalities. It seeks to highlight how remittances influence disparities between men and women within the Moroccan workforce, as well as their impact across different age groups. To achieve this objective, we employ data from the 2013/2014 National Survey on Household Consumption and Expenditure conducted by the Haut-Commissariat au Plan. To address potential selection bias, we apply the propensity score matching (PSM) method developed by Rosenbaum and Rubin [1983. The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effect. Biometrika, 70(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1093/biomet/70.1.41]. Our findings show that remittances have no significant impact on labour force participation and unemployment among young men and women aged 15 to 24. However, for individuals aged 25 to 60, remittances are associated with a significant decline in women's labour force participation and a marked rise in men's unemployment. These results remain robust when tested using an alternative estimation method.