South-South Migration and the Labor Market: Evidence from South Africa

Arbeitspapier

Using census data for 1996, 2001 and 2007 we study the labor market effect of immigration to South Africa. The paper contributes to a small but growing literature on the impact of South-South migration by looking at one of the most attractive destinations for migrant workers in Sub-Saharan Africa. We exploit the variation - both at the district level and at the national one - in the share of foreign-born male workers across schooling and experience groups over time. At the district level, we estimate that increased immigration has a negative and significant effect on natives' employment rates - and that this effect is more negative for skilled and white South African native workers - but not on total income. These results are robust to using an instrumental variable estimation strategy. At the national level, we find that increased immigration has a negative and significant effect on natives' total income but not on employment rates. Our results are consistent with outflows of natives to other districts as a consequence of migration, as in Borjas (2006).

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 7362

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; International Migration ; Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
• Subject: immigration ; labor market effects ; South Africa ; Einwanderung ; Entwicklungsländer-seitig ; Bevölkerung ; Arbeitsmarkt ; Beschäftigungseffekt ; Einkommen ; Südafrika

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Facchini, Giovanni ; Mayda, Anna Maria ; Mendola, Mariapia
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2013

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/80514
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET