As Long as They Are Cheap: Experimental Evidence on the Demand for Migrant Workers by Paolo Falco

Join us for the latest Applied Economics Research Seminar Series event, Autumn Term 2021.

Paolo Falco from University of Copenhagen will present their research on  As Long as They Are Cheap: Experimental Evidence on the Demand for Migrant Workers.

Abstract

How does demand for migrant vs native workers change with price? We conduct an experiment with 56,000 Danish households (over 2 percent of all households in the country), who receive an advertisement from a cleaning company whose operators vary randomly across areas but meet the same quality standards and have equal customer ratings. When the operator has a migrant background, we find that demand is significantly lower than when the operator is a native. The gap, however, is highly sensitive to price. For an hourly pay close to the 25^th percentile of the earnings distribution (24 USD per hour), demand for the migrant is one-fifth of the demand for the native. A 25 percent reduction in the price makes the gap in demand disappear. 

The seminar will begin with a presentation and will end with a Q and A session.

It will be held at the Colchester Campus at 4pm on Thursday 11th November. Room: TBC, but a zoom link can also be provided for remote access. This event is open to all levels of study and is also open to the public. To register your place and gain access to the webinar, please contact the seminar organisers.

This event is part of the Applied Economics Research Seminar Series.