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Selection in initial and return migration: Evidence from moves across Spanish cities

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  • Jorge De la Roca

    (CEMFI and IMDEA Social Sciences Institute)

Abstract

This paper investigates the sorting of more productive workers into denser cities using administrative data for Spain that follow individuals continuously throughout their working lives. Migrants who move to denser cities are positively selected in terms of education, occupational skills, and individual productivity as proxied by premigration position in the local earnings distribution. However, not everyone is able to benefit equally from denser cities and this leads to a second round of sorting. Returnees are not only exante less productive than permanent migrants, but are also those who, following the first move, have least boosted up their earnings in denser cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge De la Roca, 2011. "Selection in initial and return migration: Evidence from moves across Spanish cities," Working Papers 2011-21, Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados (IMDEA) Ciencias Sociales.
  • Handle: RePEc:imd:wpaper:wp2011-21
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    selection; urban migration; return migration; skill sorting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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