The Cumulative Effect of Early Investments in the Language Skills of Refugees

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2203 SS&H (Andrews Conference Room) | UC Davis

Abstract: 

Refugees who acquire local human capital and are easier to employ and contribute more to the creation of income and to the tax revenues of the host country. We evaluate a reform that substantially expanded language learning provision for humanitarian migrants in Denmark in their first years after arrival. The policy change only applied to immigrants obtaining residency after January 1st 1999. Labor market outcomes of refugees with access to more extensive language training upon arrival gradually diverge from the control group. The impact on earnings and employment is significant after six years and accumulates into one additional year in employment and USD 50,000 in additional earnings, more than offsetting the cost of the additional language learning provision. 
 

Registration closes on January 22nd at 12:00PM.
 

Linea Hasager
PhD Student, Economics

Linea Hasager is a PhD student in Economics from the University of Copenhagen. Her main areas of interest are Labor Economics, Migration and Applied Microeconomics. Currently, she is evaluating different policies that are aimed at integrating refugees in the labor market, using administrative microdata. In one project, she studies how increased provision of language training affects refugees’ long-term economic integration and whether this has an impact on the next generation. Another project analyzes how resettlement of refugees in disadvantaged neighborhoods affects their mental and physical health. Other work investigates the relationship between labor market institutions and the wage impacts of immigration.

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