Migrant Labor and Integration in the Russian Federation

This article compares the labor market outcomes of migrants in Russia to the non-migrant population. It considers human capital theory and integration theory while measuring differences between migrants and non-migrants in employment, work contracts, and wages. We rely on a rich source of longitudinal micro-data, the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. Results show that migrants have high levels of employment but that certain groups are disproportionally likely to fall into unofficial employment when compared to non-migrants. Results further show that certain migrants report higher earnings than both non-migrants and internal migrants; suggesting that migrant workers seek a premium to come to Russia.