CWF HDR Seminar: Social Networks and the Labour Market

An important element of migration is the integration of immigrants in the host country, which is strongly linked to their performance in the labour market. We address a number of aspects of the integration process in this paper.

• Since measuring social networks is not a straightforward exercise, we first develop an understanding of social interactions and then use different variables from the available data to build two measures of social networks, including ethnic concentration, as a proxy for immigrant networks.
• We then analyse, using different econometric models, the impact of networks on labour market outcomes (probability of finding employment and the level of wages) of immigrants, as well as natives.
• We further explore whether the jobs obtained by immigrants commensurate with their education level. Using concepts of over- and under-education from labour economics, we estimate the effects of networks on the labour market mismatch of immigrants and compare them to natives.

In this HDR seminar, we will explore different econometric techniques used as well as how to use panel data, and finally the results obtained in the paper. We will also discuss policy implications of the results.

Dr. Matloob Piracha

Dr Matloob Piracha is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of Kent, UK. He has extensive experience of working on migration and related issues and has published a number of papers on the impact of migration on sending and receiving countries as well as on migrants and their left-behind families. Matloob has acted as a consultant or a collaborator for a number of international organisations including the OECD, UK Department for International Development (DfID) and the World Bank. He is also Director of the Global Labour Organisation (GLO), a virtual network connecting eminent scholars and policymakers from around the world.

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