The role of internal migration in accessing a first job: A case study of Uganda

Abstract

Does experiencing internal migration hasten access to the labour market? This article studies the gap in length of transition to a first job between internal migrant and non-migrant youth in Uganda. According to the specific context of this developing country, three transition starting points are considered: date of birth, minimum legal working age and school exit. Extended Cox proportional hazard models suggest that migrants experience shorter transitions. However, when excluding child labourers or measuring school-to-work transitions, significant gaps disappear. Decomposition of transition length gaps reveals the importance of observable and unobservable factors related in particular to area of origin, gender and access to education.