Migration as an adjustment mechanism in the crisis? A comparison of Europe and the United States 2006-2016

Arbeitspapier

We estimate whether migration can be an equilibrating force in the labour market by comparing pre- and post-crisis migration movements at the regional level in both Europe and the United States, and their association with asymmetric labour market shocks. Based on fixed-effects regressions using regional panel data, we find that Europe’s migratory response to unemployment shocks was almost identical to that recorded in the United States after the crisis. Our estimates suggest that, if all measured population changes in Europe were due to migration for employment purposes – i.e. an upper-bound estimate – up to about a quarter of the asymmetric labour market shock would be absorbed by migration within a year. However, in Europe and especially in the Eurozone, the reaction to a very large extent stems from migration of recent EU accession country citizens as well as of third-country nationals.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: GLO Discussion Paper ; No. 178

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economic Integration ; International Migration ; Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
• Subject: free mobility ; migration ; economic crisis ; labour market adjustment ; Eurozone ; Europe ; United States

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Jauer, Julia ; Liebig, Thomas ; Martin, John P. ; Puhani, Patrick A.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Global Labor Organization (GLO)
• (where): Maastricht
• (when): 2018

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/173751
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET