News Finding: It turned out that refugees with particular backgrounds or skills achieved better outcomes in some locations than others.
Paper Finding: Our approach led to gains of roughly 40 to 70%, on average, in refugees' employment outcomes relative to current assignment practices.
News Context: They found that the refugees' eventual economic self-sufficiency depended on a combination of their individual characteristics, such as education level and knowledge of English, and where they were resettled within the country. It turned out that refugees with particular backgrounds or skills achieved better outcomes in some locations than others. In 2016 alone, about 65.6 million people were forced to flee their homes.
Paper Context: Our approach led to gains of roughly 40 to 70%, on average, in refugees' employment outcomes relative to current assignment practices. This approach can provide governments with a practical and cost-efficient policy tool that can be immediately implemented within existing institutional structures. It is also one of the most consequential in maximizing refugees' economic integration and self-sufficiency as a first step toward a more comprehensive integration into society (7-9).