IMF-跨境移民对拉丁美洲和加勒比国家劳动力参与性别差距的影响（英）-2025.8_31页_2mb

Summary of the Working Paper: Impact of Cross-Border Migration on the Gender Gap in Labor Force Participation in Latin America and in the Caribbean Countries

Core Content

This working paper investigates the impact of cross-border migration—both emigration and immigration—on the gender gap in labor force participation (LFP) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, using a combination of country-level and individual-level data.

Main Findings

• Gender Gap in LFP: The gender gap in labor force participation in LAC has been decreasing since 1990, but remains the second highest globally.
• Emigration Impact: Emigration is associated with a decline in LFP rates, particularly among women. This is supported by country-level data from 1991 to 2019.
• Immigration Impact: Immigration is positively correlated with male LFP rates but has no significant effect on female LFP rates.
• Joint Effect: The paper explores the joint effect of emigration and immigration, suggesting that immigration may mitigate some negative effects of emigration, especially in countries with high outflows.
• Colombia Case Study: Using individual-level data from Colombia (2017–2019), the study finds that remittances (as a proxy for emigration) reduce LFP, especially among less-educated, older, and informal-sector women. The influx of Venezuelan immigrants also reduces LFP for all genders, though the impact is less pronounced for women.
• Endogeneity Addressed: The paper uses a shift-share design and distance-based instruments to address potential endogeneity issues in migration and LFP relationships.

Key Points

• Macro-Level Analysis:

  • Emigration is negatively correlated with LFP for both genders, with a stronger effect on women.
  • Immigration is positively correlated with male LFP, but not significantly with female LFP.
  • The gender gap in LFP remains significant even after accounting for migration effects.

• Micro-Level Analysis (Colombia):

  • Remittances are used as a proxy for emigration, as the dataset lacks direct information on emigration status.
  • The study finds that less-educated, older, and informal-sector women are more affected by remittances in terms of reduced LFP.
  • The influx of Venezuelan immigrants negatively affects LFP for both genders, but the effect is less severe for women.
  • The use of distance to the border as an instrument helps to control for endogeneity.

• Policy Implications:

  • The findings suggest the need for inclusive policies that protect both host and migrant workers.
  • The paper emphasizes the importance of understanding how migration affects labor force participation differently by gender.

Migration Patterns in the Western Hemisphere

• Emigration and Immigration Trends:

  • From 1990 to 2020, cross-border migration in LAC has increased significantly.
  • By 2020, around 6.5% of the LAC population resided abroad, more than double that of 1990.
  • The share of foreign residents in LAC has also been growing, though at a smaller scale than emigration.

• Regional Differences:

  • North America: Higher immigrant stocks than emigrant stocks.
  • South America, Caribbean, and CAPDR (Central America, Panama, and Dominican Republic): Higher emigrant stocks than immigrant stocks.
  • The Caribbean region has the highest population share of emigrants, followed by CAPDR.

• Gender Distribution:

  • Women dominate migration outflows across LAC regions, except in the Caribbean.
  • Migration inflows show a more even gender distribution.

Methodology

• Data Sources:

  • Macro-level: World Bank WDI, ILO, UNDP migration database.
  • Micro-level: Monthly Large Integrated Household Survey data from Colombia (2017–2019).

• Empirical Strategy:

  • Country-level: Regress LFP rates on emigration and immigration shares, controlling for unemployment and GDP per capita.
  • Individual-level: Use remittances as a proxy for emigration and distance to the border as an instrument to address endogeneity.

• Statistical Results:

  • A 1 percentage point increase in the emigrant share is associated with a 0.30 percentage point decrease in female LFP and a 0.27 percentage point decrease in male LFP.
  • A 1 percentage point increase in the immigrant share is associated with a 0.56 percentage point increase in male LFP.

Conclusion

The paper provides evidence that cross-border migration influences the gender gap in labor force participation in LAC countries. Emigration tends to reduce LFP more for women, while immigration has a positive effect on men. The findings highlight the importance of analyzing both migration flows together and suggest the need for inclusive policies to address the differential impacts on men and women. The study contributes to the literature by examining the effects of migration on LFP at both macro and micro levels, with a focus on gender-specific outcomes.