TY  - RPRT
        AU  - McKenzie, David
AU  - Theoharides, Caroline
AU  - Yang, Dean
        TI  - Distortions in the International Migrant Labor Market: Evidence from Filipino Migration and Wage Responses to Destination Country Economic Shocks
        PY  - 2012/Apr/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 6498
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp6498
        AB  - We use an original panel dataset of migrant departures from the Philippines to identify the responsiveness of migrant numbers and wages to GDP shocks in destination countries. We find a large significant elasticity of migrant numbers to GDP shocks at destination, but no significant wage response. This is consistent with binding minimum wages for migrant labor. This result implies that labor market imperfections that make international migration attractive also make migrant flows more sensitive to global business cycles. Difference-in-differences analysis of a minimum wage change for maids confirms that minimum wages bind and demand is price sensitive without these distortions.
        KW  - international migration
KW  - migrant demand
KW  - labor output elasticity
KW  - minimum wages
        ER  -