Emigration and Rising Wages in Myanmar: Evidence from Mon State

December 5, 2019 - Filipski, Mateusz, Hak Lim Lee, Aung Hein, and Ulrike Nischan

Filipski, Mateusz, Hak Lim Lee, Aung Hein, and Ulrike Nischan. "Emigration and Rising Wages in Myanmar: Evidence from Mon State." The Journal of Development Studies (2019): 1-18. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2019.1626834

ABSTRACT

Whether and how immigration affects labor markets is a hotly-debated and widely-studied topic. By contrast, the converse question of how emigration impacts labor markets in the source economy has remained largely understudied. In particular, whether outflows of laborers lead to higher wages in their home countries has only been addressed in a handful of studies. This paper contributes to filling this knowledge gap using data from Myanmar. We collected primary household data from rural Mon State, a southern state neighboring Thailand. Analysis shows that over a quarter of the labor force is currently migrating for work. Relying on variation in local wages at the village level, regression estimates reveal a significant relationship between migration and wages of unskilled agricultural workers. We use measures of past migration as instrumental variables to further show that this relationship is likely causal. Rapidly rising wages in Myanmar carry deep consequences for the development trajectory of the country.

Authors

You Might Also Be Interested In

Accessibility Questions:

For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.

Tag List
  • c1-c2,
  • feed the future innovation lab for food security policy,
  • food security group,
  • fsg peer reviewed publications,
  • fsg publications,
  • fsp peer reviewed publications,
  • household income and livelihoods,
  • innovation lab for food security policy,
  • input use and market development,
  • myanmar,
  • myanmar agriculture policy support activity
Michigan State University
  • Spartans Will.
  • © Michigan State University

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential.

Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707.

We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).