Employment Effects of Dispersal Policies on Refugee Immigrants: Empirical Evidence

Do dispersal policies on refugee immigrants promote their labour <p> market outcomes? To investigate this we estimate the effects of location <p> characteristics and the average effect of geographical mobility <p> on the hazard rate into first job of refugee immigrants subjected to <p> the Danish Dispersal Policy 1986-1998. We correct for selection into <p> relocation to another municipality by joint estimation of the duration <p> of the first non-employment spell and time until relocation. <p> We find, first, that the hazard rate into first job is decreasing in the <p> local population size and the local share of immigrants. These findings <p> support dispersal policies. Second, on average geographical mobility <p> had large, positive effects on the hazard rate into first job, suggesting <p> that restrictions on placed refugees’ subsequent out-migration would <p> hamper labour market integration of ref