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to camps and centers. This task was combined with granting UNHCR access to centers for monitoring international
protection activities. The progress report recommended continued cooperation and effort by Turkish authorities despite
changes in law enforcement, military forces, and public administration following the failed coup in July 2016.

3.8. Effects of population inflows on host country economies
Policies related to refugees raise the debate on how population inflows might affect the economy in host countries. There
are concerns that native workers might experience negative impacts on their earnings and employment, mainly individuals
with lower levels of education. These workers might experience increasing competition with immigrants and refugees
for low-wage jobs. The question is whether an increase in labor supply, due to the growing inflows of immigrants, has
negative effects on labor outcomes of competing low-skilled native workers.
Several studies have shown the impact of immigration on wages and employment in host countries. There are no
definitive answers about the impacts of immigration flows on labor markets due to numerous and concurrent effects
related to economic outcomes (Blau and Mackie, 2017). One of the most cited studies indicated that immigration reduces
the wage and labor supply of competing native workers: Wages of natives decreased by almost 4% when there was a 10%
increase in the labor supply of immigrants (Borjas, 2003). Another study highlighted that immigration had a small effect
on the wages of native workers with no high school degree between 1990 and 2006 (Ottaviano and Peri, 2012). This
analysis also indicated that immigration had a small positive effect on average native wages. However, these flows had a
substantial negative effect on wages of previous immigrants in the long run.
Studies used different approaches to compare employment opportunities between immigrants and natives across
regions (Card Dustmann and Preston, 2012; Manacorda, Manning, Wadsworth et al., 2012; Ottaviano and Peri, 2012).
Results varied due to different countries being investigated, units of analysis, methodological procedures, and types of
data (Card, 2012). Three main aspects were related to the diverse results from these studies, as detailed below.
First, studies can consider that economic production, resources, and goods (e.g., financial assets, cash and funds,
machinery, production equipment, and facilities) are considered fixed or adjustable through time in a society (Card, 2012).
Analyses that assume this production capacity as fixed, while the number of workers increases with immigration, tend to
find the negative effects of migration on labor outcomes. If studies assume that economic production adjusts in the long
run (maintaining the ratio between production and number of workers), the effects of immigration on average wages of
natives are approximately zero.
Second, researchers can consider different education groups in their analysis (Card, 2012). If they consider four
distinct education groups in the labor market (dropouts, high school graduates, people with some college, and college
graduates), the relatively high fraction of immigrant dropouts distorts the overall share of dropouts in the economy and
lowers their wage relative to other groups. A two-group model (high-school equivalents and college equivalents) is in line
with labor economics theory and assumes that the share of high-school equivalents is what matters in the labor market.
With two education groups, wage has been largely unaffected by immigration.
Third, analytical models can assume that immigrants and native workers with similar levels of education compete
with each other equally in the labor market (Card, 2012). In this case, results tend to indicate the negative effects of
immigration flows on wages. However, analyses could consider that native workers with low levels of education have
advantages in the labor market, compared to low-educated immigrants (e.g., proficiency in host country language and
access to broader social networks). When these differences between immigrants and native workers were considered, the
results indicated that immigration had positive impacts on labor outcomes of native workers.

4. Final Considerations
Addressing Syrian refugees’ socioeconomic integration in host countries demands solutions in two major areas: (1)
Recognizing that social and economic integration are interconnected and (2) increasing refugee employment while
minimizing labor displacement and unemployment of the native population.
First, cultural and social issues challenge Syrian refugees’ successful economic integration. Immigration might have
the negative short-term effects on the earnings of the native population. Job market competition could lead to social conflict
with detrimental effects. However, these short-term effects can be surpassed by long-term economic development, as a
result of an increasing working-age population and a rising demand for products and services. Thus, a social integration
program should be accompanied by an economic integration plan in host countries.
Second, the integration of refugees into host labor markets has conflicting objectives. On the one hand, refugees must
be included in the formal economic sector to acquire decent earnings and social benefits. On the other hand, the negative

34 International Journal of Population Studies | 2018, Volume 4, Issue 1