Language Roulette? Refugee Placement and its Effect on Labor Market Integration

Randomly assigning asylum seekers to a canton is a neutral, transparent allocation mechanism from an administrative perspective. However, it fails to consider individual characteristics.
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Asylum seekers placed in a canton where the language spoken is familiar to them have a higher chance of finding employment than those allocated to a region where the language is alien to them.
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Participation in a language course increases their chances of finding employment.
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To retain random placement yet mitigate its negative effects, federal and cantonal authorities should ensure a comprehensive provision of language courses.