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Labor Market Effects of a Work-first Policy for Refugees

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  • Arendt, Jacob Nielsen

Abstract

This study estimates the labor market effects of a work-first policy that aimed at speeding up the labor market integration of refugees. The policy added new requirements for refugees to actively search for jobs and to participate in on-the-job training immediately upon arrival in the host country. The requirements were added to an existing policy that emphasizes human capital investments in language training. The results show that the work-first policy speeded up the entry into regular jobs for males, but that they find work in precarious jobs with few hours. The long-run effects are uncertain since the policy crowds out language investments but raises enrollment in education. The policy had no or very small effects for women, which is partly explained by a lower treatment intensity for women.

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  • Arendt, Jacob Nielsen, 2020. "Labor Market Effects of a Work-first Policy for Refugees," GLO Discussion Paper Series 662, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:662
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacob Nielsen Arendt & Christian Dustmann & Hyejin Ku, 2022. "Refugee migration and the labour market: lessons from 40 years of post-arrival policies in Denmark [‘The Dynamics of Return Migration, Human Capital Accumulation, and Wage Assimilation’]," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 531-556.
    2. Bratu, Cristina & Martén, Linna & Ottosson, Lillit, 2023. "Individualized benefits and access to active labor market programs boost refugee women’s economic integration," Working Paper Series 3/2023, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    3. Stefan Jestl & Michael Landesmann & Sebastian Leitner & Barbara Wanek-Zajic, 2022. "Trajectories of Employment Gaps of Refugees and Other Migrants: Evidence from Austria," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 609-669, April.
    4. Seonho Shin, 2022. "Evaluating the Effect of the Matching Grant Program for Refugees: An Observational Study Using Matching, Weighting, and the Mantel-Haenszel Test," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 103-133, March.
    5. Arendt, Jacob Nielsen & Bolvig, Iben, 2023. "Trade-offs between work-first and language-first strategies for refugees," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Seonho Shin, 2022. "To work or not? Wages or subsidies?: Copula-based evidence of subsidized refugees’ negative selection into employment," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(4), pages 2209-2252, October.
    7. Henna Busk & Signe Jauhiainen, 2022. "The Careers of Immigrants in Finland: Empirical Evidence for Genders and Year of Immigration," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 2009-2030, December.
    8. Dorian Tsolak & Marvin Bürmann, 2023. "Making the Match: The Importance of Local Labor Markets for the Employment Prospects of Refugees," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-26, June.
    9. Black, Sandra E. & Liepmann, Hannah & Remigereau, Camille & Spitz-Oener, Alexandra, 2022. "Government aid and child refugees’ economic success later in life: Evidence from post-WWII GDR refugees," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Refugee; Unemployment; Work-first; Employment Support;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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