Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/124865 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9348
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Civil war in Syria, which started in March 2011, has led to a massive wave of forced immigration from the Northern Syria to the Southeastern regions of Turkey. This paper exploits this natural experiment to estimate the impact of Syrian refugees on the labor market outcomes of natives in Turkey. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that immigration has considerably affected the employment outcomes of natives, while its impact on wage outcomes has been negligible. We document notable employment losses among informal workers as a consequence of refugee inflows. The majority of those who lost their informal jobs have either left the labor force or remained unemployed. Overall, unemployment rates have increased, while labor force participation, informal employment, and job finding rates have declined among natives. Disadvantaged groups – i.e., females, younger workers, and less-educated workers – have been affected the worst. The prevalence of informal employment in the Turkish labor markets has amplified the negative impact of Syrian refugee inflows on natives' labor market outcomes.
Subjects: 
informality
labor market
Turkey
immigration
Syrian civil war
difference in differences
JEL: 
J15
J21
J46
J61
C21
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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