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Scandinavian Journal of Economics

Low-Skilled Jobs, Language Proficiency and Job Opportunities for Refugees: An Experimental Study

Journal Article
Reference
Ek, Simon, Mats Hammarstedt and Per Skedinger (2024). “Low-Skilled Jobs, Language Proficiency and Job Opportunities for Refugees: An Experimental Study”. Scandinavian Journal of Economics 126(2), 355–386. doi.org/10.1111/sjoe.12549

Authors
Simon Ek, Mats Hammarstedt, Per Skedinger

We study the causal effects of previous experience and language skills when newly arrived refugees in Sweden apply for job openings by means of a field experiment. Applications were sent from randomly assigned fictitious Syrian refugees with experience in jobs with low skill requirements and completed language training in Swedish to employers advertising low-skilled job vacancies.

We find no evidence of sizeable effects from previous experience or completed language classes on the probability of receiving callback from employers. However, female applicants were more likely than males to receive a positive response. We conclude that previous experience and completed language training seem to provide at best a small positive signaling value when refugees apply for low-skilled jobs through formal channels.

Mats Hammarstedt

+46 (0)77 228 80 00
+46 (0)730 619 194
mats.hammarstedt@ifn.se

Per Skedinger

+46 (0)8 665 4553
+46 (0)70 486 0389
per.skedinger@ifn.se