The Selection of Migrants and Returnees

This paper uses micro data from the Demographic National Survey and the Census in Romania (2002-2003) and in Countries that have received large number of Romanian immigrants over the period 1990-2000 (US, Austria and Spain) to identify the wage earning ability (skills) of migrants and returnees relative to non-migrants. This determines what is called 'selection'. Using observable characteristics (education, age, gender and family status) that affect wage earning abilities of non-migrant, migrants to specific countries and returnees the authors can construct measures of average selection across skills for each skill group. Also, by observing the actual wages of these groups in Romania, US, Austria and Spain the author can measure the average and the skills-specific premium for migrating and for returning. As the three receiving countries differ in their skill compensation structure we can test the hypothesis that migration to a country is larger for those groups that receive higher migration premium. The authors find strong support for the idea that migrants in different skill groups move depending on the premium that they will get in the receiving country. Similarly the authors find evidence of a premium to returnee that is increasing in their skills, which drives positive selection of returnees. As migration and return seem consistent with optimal utility-maximizing choices of individuals the authors use a model of education, migration and return to predict the effects of increasing international mobility on skill and wage of Romanians. The authors find average positive long-run effect on average skills and wages in Romania from relaxing migration constraint.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Ambrosini, J. William, Mayr, Karin, Peri, Giovanni, Radu, Dragos
Format:	Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2010-04
Subjects:	AGE DISTRIBUTION, AVERAGE INCOME, AVERAGE MIGRATION, AVERAGE MONTHLY WAGE, AVERAGE SKILL LEVEL, AVERAGE WAGE, BORDERS, BRAIN DRAIN, BRAIN GAIN, BRAIN-DRAIN, CENSUS DATA, CHARACTERISTICS OF MIGRANTS, COMPENSATION, CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATION, COST OF MIGRATION, COSTS OF MIGRATION, COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION, COUNTRIES OF EMIGRATION, COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN, COUNTRY OF DESTINATION, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, CURRENT POPULATION, DEPENDENCE, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATED WOMEN, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EMIGRANTS, EMIGRATION, EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS, ETHNIC GROUP, FAMILIES, FAMILY STRUCTURE, FLOW OF MIGRANTS, FLOWS OF MIGRANTS, GENDER, GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, GROSS EMIGRATION, HOST COUNTRY, HUMAN CAPITAL, IMMIGRANT, IMMIGRANTS, IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION POLICIES, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATIONS, INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY, JOB CREATION, LABOR FORCE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKETS, LACK OF INFORMATION, LIVING CONDITIONS, LIVING STANDARDS, MIGRANT, MIGRANT POPULATION, MIGRANT WORKERS, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MIGRATION COSTS, MIGRATION DATA, MIGRATION FLOWS, MIGRATION POLICIES, MIGRATION RATES, MIGRATION STATUS, MIGRATIONS, NATIVE POPULATION, NET IMMIGRATION, NUMBER OF MIGRANTS, OLD AGE, OLDER AGE GROUPS, POPULATION CENSUSES, POPULATION DATA, POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, POTENTIAL MIGRANT, POTENTIAL MIGRANTS, PRIMARY EDUCATION, REMIGRATION, REMITTANCES, RESTRICTIVE IMMIGRATION POLICIES, RETURN MIGRATION, RETURN-MIGRATION, RETURNEE, RETURNEES, SECONDARY SCHOOLING, SKILL LEVEL, SKILL LEVELS, SKILLED MIGRANTS, SKILLED MIGRATION, SKILLED WORKERS, TEMPORARY MIGRATION, TERTIARY EDUCATION, UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION, UNIVERSITY EDUCATION, UNSKILLED WORKERS, WORK EXPERIENCE, YOUNG AGE,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/724911468105857021/The-selection-of-migrants-and-returnees-evidence-from-Romania-and-implications https://hdl.handle.net/10986/27908
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!