Publication: The Impact of Syrians Refugees on the Turkish Labor Market
Date
2015-08
ISSN
Published
2015-08
Author(s)
Abstract
Civil war in Syria has resulted in more
than four million refugees fleeing the country, of which 1.8
million have found refuge in Turkey, making it the largest
refugee-hosting country worldwide. This paper combines newly
available data on the 2014 distribution of Syrian refugees
across subregions of Turkey with the Turkish Labour Force
Survey, to assess the impact on Turkish labor market
conditions. Using a novel instrument, the analysis finds
that the refugees, who overwhelmingly do not have work
permits, result in the large-scale displacement of informal,
low-educated, female Turkish workers, especially in
agriculture. While there is net displacement, the inflow of
refugees also creates higher-wage formal jobs, allowing for
occupational upgrading of Turkish workers. Average Turkish
wages have increased primarily as the composition of the
employed has changed because of the inflow of refugees.
Citation
“Del Carpio, Ximena V.; Wagner, Mathis. 2015. The Impact of Syrians Refugees on the Turkish Labor Market. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7402. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22659 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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