中文摘要
本文利用难民被外生安置到瑞士各州以及德语区与法语区之间清晰的语言边界，估计熟练掌握东道国语言对移民就业结果带来的经济收益。本文使用2008年至2017年间申请瑞士庇护的非洲难民行政数据，将被安置到法语区的法语难民与被安置到德语区的法语难民进行比较，并利用讲英语的非洲难民的就业结果对地区间的共同差异进行调整。结果表明，语言熟练程度使难民抵达后前五年的就业水平提高至两倍以上。（JEL J15, J24, J31, J82, R23）
Abstract
This paper estimates the economic gains from proficiency in the host country’s language on migrants’ employment outcomes by exploiting the exogenous placement of refugees to Swiss cantons and a sharp language border dividing German- and French-speaking regions. Using administrative data on African refugees who applied for Swiss asylum between 2008 and 2017, I compare French-speaking refugees assigned to the French-speaking region to French-speaking refugees assigned to the German-speaking region and adjust for common regional differences with outcomes from English-speaking African refugees. The results suggest that language proficiency more than doubles the employment level in the first five years after arrival. (JEL J15, J24, J31, J82, R23)