Employer attitudes towards hiring university-educated refugees: evidence from Rwanda

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the labour market conditions of refugees in Rwanda using a process evaluation and a survey with 244 employers. The process evaluation covers a tertiary education program, which offers a path to bachelor’s degree from a US University using a blended approach to instruction. Students highlighted the importance of the internship and employment components of this programme. Survey vignettes indicated that employers reported a 6% lower likelihood of hiring relatively well-educated refugees than to hire Rwandans with otherwise identical characteristics. This finding was driven by the 50% of the employers who found it more complex to hire refugees.