Evaluating the Employment Effects of a Labor Market Integration Program for Syrian Refugees and Turkish Nationals in Türkiye : Baseline Report

Causal evidence on the effectiveness of refugee labor market integration programs remains limited. This report presents baseline findings from a randomized controlled trial evaluating such a program for Syrian refugees and Turkish nationals with limited labor market attachment in Türkiye - the world’s largest refugee host. The program consists of Turkish language instruction, job readiness training, and subsidized, short-term, on-the-job training in formal enterprises, with a mandated requirement that employers retain a predetermined share of trainees, and expedited work permit processing for selected refugee participants. The evaluation sample includes 2,834 individuals – 79 percent Syrian refugees, 46 percent women, and 39 percent youth - randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, resulting in statistically balanced and evenly sized samples. The baseline findings confirm the successful initial implementation of a credible evaluation design and provide a strong foundation for estimating the program’s causal impacts.