A Comparative Study on the Labour Market Outcomes of Internal and International Migrants in Ecuador

Emily Bergner, Radboud University Nijmegen
nicole salvarez, World Fair Trade Organization
Jimena Pacheco, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University
Natascha Wagner, Radboud University

This study examines the labour market outcomes of internal and international migrants in Ecuador, focusing on the comparative integration of these groups. It explores whether the mechanisms of limited human capital transferability and ethnic penalty, which are common in international migration studies, also apply to internal migration. The analysis draws on a large dataset with 550,000 observations covering several years. It provides insights into employment, overqualification, job security, and wage differences among internal migrants, international migrants, and non-migrants. The findings suggest that internal migrants fare better in the labour market than non-migrants. They are less likely to be overqualified and more likely to secure jobs with social security benefits. In contrast, international migrants often face higher levels of overqualification and job insecurity than non-migrants. Gender differences indicate that female internal migrants experience even better labour market outcomes than their male counterparts. The overall effects are stronger for migrants who moved for economic reasons compared to those who relocated for family reasons. This research contributes to the geographical decentring of migration research by providing evidence from a middle-income country. It highlights the importance of jointly analysing internal and international migration.

Keywords: Internal Migration and Urbanization, International Migration, Human Capital, Education, and Work, Comparative methods

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