Refugees Labor Market Integration in Kenya

Abstract

We analyze labor market outcomes among refugees in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. We leverage COVID-19 RRPS in a fixed effects model. Findings suggest that employment, hours worked, and earnings made differed across the waves. Despite employment, hours worked, and earnings declining at the onset, these outcomes rose as the pandemic progressed. An education penalty existed such that educated female refugees were less likely to be employed and worked fewer hours compared to uneducated male counterparts. Although interventions significantly raised earnings, the effect on hours worked and employment was intervention-specific. Hours worked and employment of refugees rose significantly in unsustainable coping strategies but declined significantly in remittances, and assistance. Employing the fixed effects difference-in-difference estimator, we established that these results were robust. The study concludes that educated female refugees are heavily penalized with respect to employment and hours worked; and, the evolution of hours worked and employment was intervention-specific.