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Worker Mobility in a Global Labor Market: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates
April 29, 2015Poverty and Applied Microeconomics Seminar Series
Suresh Naidu will present the results of recent research.

Speaker: Suresh Naidu is an Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Columbia University/SIPA. More »

Abstract: In 2011, a reform in the UAE allowed any employer to renew a migrant's visa upon contract expiration without written permission from the initial employer. We find that the reform increased incumbent migrants' earnings and firm retention of these workers. This occurs despite an increase in employer transitions, and is driven by a fall in country exits. While the outcomes of workers already in the UAE improved, our analysis suggests that the reform decreased demand for new migrant workers and lowered their earnings. These results are consistent with a model in which the reform reduces the monopsony power of firms.

Paper: Worker Mobility in a Global Labor Market: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates by Yaw Nyark (NYU), Shing-Yi Wang (Wharton), and Suresh Naidu (Columbia)

Last Updated: Apr 23, 2015

The Poverty and Applied Micro Seminar Series is a weekly series hosted by the World Bank's research department. The series invites leading researchers in applied microeconomics from the fields of poverty, human development and public service delivery, agriculture and rural development, political economy, behavioral economics, private sector development, and a range of other fields to present the results of their most recent research in a seminar format. The full list of seminars can be viewed here.

Event Details
  • Date: April 29, 2015
  • Location: World Bank Headquarters, MC3-570
  • Time: 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
  • CONTACT: Anna Bonfield
  • abonfield@worldbank.org
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