Abstract

We study the effects of an unexpected and large migration from Venezuela on Peruvian labor markets. From 2017 to 2019, about 800,000 Venezuelans migrated to Peru, with 84% settling in the Lima metropolitan area. The percentage of Venezuelans in the working age population in Lima increased from nearly 0 to over 10%, with migrants having higher education on average than the local labor force. We propose a simple assignment model of the labor market, which suggests that migration will lead to a reallocation of local workers toward low-skilled jobs. Using synthetic control methods and comparing Lima with a group of other Peruvian metropolitan areas, we find evidence of adjustment in occupational structure in the direction predicted by the model with few decreases in employment of local workers. JEL Classification Codes: F22; J04; O15

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