Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Bienvenido Presidente Calderon! and Return Migration

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is currently on a visit to the United States. Cleary one of the big issues for his visit is immigration. Like President Calderon many Mexican immigrants both legal and illegal stay here temporarily. In fact before increased border protection nearly half of Mexican migrants returned to their home country in less than a year.
When President Calderon returns back to Mexico next week he will (likely) still have the same job. However, after staying months in the US as temporary workers will typical Mexican migrants who return have the same job or one just as good when? Does migration hurt a worker's ability to find jobs since they are not in contact with other people or could they learn new skills in the United States?

{SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION ALERT}

Well in a recent paper I co-authored with Robert Gitter, my father, and Douglas Southgate. “The Impact of Return Migration in Mexico” published in this month’s Estudios Economicos the economic journal of the Colegio de México. We find that working age male return migrants, those who left Mexico and came back, had similar employment rates and incomes to those who never left. More simply those who left and came back did about as well in terms of jobs as those who never left.

If you would like to read the article here is the link.

Oh and welcome to America Senor Presidente!

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