Publication Date
8-17-2022
Series
Upjohn Institute working paper ; 22-372
DOI
10.17848/wp22-372
Abstract
Job seekers face substantial information frictions, especially in international labor markets where intermediaries match prospective migrants with overseas employers. We conducted a randomized trial in Indonesia to explore how information about intermediary quality shapes migration outcomes. Holding access to information about the return to choosing a high-quality intermediary constant, intermediary-specific quality disclosure reduces the migration rate, cutting use of low-quality providers. Workers who do migrate receive better pre-departure preparation and have improved experiences abroad, despite no change in occupation or destination. These results are not driven by changes in beliefs about average provider quality or the return to migration. Nor does selection explain improved outcomes for those who migrate with quality disclosure. Together, our findings are consistent with an increase in the option value of search: with better ability to differentiate offer quality, workers search longer, select higher-quality intermediaries, and ultimately have better migration experiences.
Issue Date
August 2022
Note
Upjohn project #58000
Sponsorship
J-PAL Southeast Asia, Australian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade, National Science Foundation (SES-1942375), and W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Early Career Research Award 15-150-02
Subject Areas
LABOR MARKET ISSUES; Temporary employment; Job search; INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
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Citation
Bazzi, Samuel, Lisa Cameron, Simone Schaner, and Firman Witoelar. 2022. "Information, Intermediaries, and International Migration." Upjohn Institute Working Paper 22-372. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://doi.org/10.17848/wp22-372