Upward or downward: occupational mobility and return migration
Upward or downward: occupational mobility and return migration
This paper examines whether temporary international migration enables returnees to climb the occupational ladder. Using data from Egypt, we examine the occupational mobility of returnees relative to non-migrants of the same birth cohort. We rely on an instrumental variable approach to control for the endogeneity of the temporary migration decision. We find evidence that return migration increases the probability of upward occupational mobility and leads to larger effects among highly educated returnees. Our results are robust to using a Difference-in-Differences matching technique that controls for unobserved heterogeneity between non-migrants and returnees. Our findings underscore that temporary overseas work experience can alleviate potential brain drain concerns through the human capital enhancement of return migrants.
Return migration, Occupational mobility, Egypt, Middle East and North Africa
El-Mallakh, Nelly
61df0e12-954c-4aae-9632-055d9575c2e0
Wahba, Jackline
03ae9304-c329-40c6-9bfc-d91cfa9e7164
January 2021
El-Mallakh, Nelly
61df0e12-954c-4aae-9632-055d9575c2e0
Wahba, Jackline
03ae9304-c329-40c6-9bfc-d91cfa9e7164
El-Mallakh, Nelly and Wahba, Jackline
(2021)
Upward or downward: occupational mobility and return migration.
World Development, 137, [105203].
(doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105203).
Abstract
This paper examines whether temporary international migration enables returnees to climb the occupational ladder. Using data from Egypt, we examine the occupational mobility of returnees relative to non-migrants of the same birth cohort. We rely on an instrumental variable approach to control for the endogeneity of the temporary migration decision. We find evidence that return migration increases the probability of upward occupational mobility and leads to larger effects among highly educated returnees. Our results are robust to using a Difference-in-Differences matching technique that controls for unobserved heterogeneity between non-migrants and returnees. Our findings underscore that temporary overseas work experience can alleviate potential brain drain concerns through the human capital enhancement of return migrants.
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 September 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 October 2020
Published date: January 2021
Keywords:
Return migration, Occupational mobility, Egypt, Middle East and North Africa
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 444460
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/444460
ISSN: 0305-750X
PURE UUID: f29f6c1d-ddc0-49b9-9b11-70dffafda8bd
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Date deposited: 20 Oct 2020 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 05:58
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Author:
Nelly El-Mallakh
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