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The Cushioning Effect of Immigrant Mobility

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  • Cem Özgüzel

Abstract

During the Great Recession, immigrants reacted to the drop in labour demand in Spain through internal migration or leaving the country. Consequently, provinces lost 13.5% of their immigrants or - 3% of the total labour supply, on average. Using municipal registers and longitudinal administrative data, I find that immigrant outflows slowed the decline in employment and wage of natives. I use a modified shift-share instrument based on past settlements to claim causality. Employment effects were driven by increased entries to employment, while wage effects were limited to natives that were already employed. These effects also persisted in the medium-term.

Suggested Citation

  • Cem Özgüzel, 2021. "The Cushioning Effect of Immigrant Mobility," CESifo Working Paper Series 9268, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9268
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    immigrant mobility; wages; employment; local labour market; Great Recession; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • 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
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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