The Employment and Occupational Status of Migrants from Countries Experiencing Armed Conflict

Abstract

This study examines the effect of armed conflict and human rights violations in countries of origin on migrant employment outcomes. It argues that armed conflict may have a disruptive impact on the educational system and the economic growth of the country of origin, which may negatively affect eventual employment outcomes after migration. Using country-level data on both armed conflicts and human rights violations and individual-level data from a representative sample of adults living in Canada, it finds that armed conflicts have a significant effect on employment and occupational status net of human rights violations, while human rights violations have no effect net of armed conflicts. Migrants from armed conflict countries, in particular those who arrived in Canada more recently, are more likely to be unemployed, and, in general, have lower occupational status compared to migrants from non-conflict countries and the native-born. Although they are more educated, most of their education was completed in their country of origin, which translates less often into employment success.