Migration and crisis: the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on migrant workers in Brazil

Abstract

This study examines to what extent international migrants were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the formal labor market in Brazil. The investigation is framed by a quantitative methodological framework based on Brazilian administrative data to identify hirings and dismissals of migrant workers. In dialogue with the literature on migration and crisis, the hypothesis of the study was that migrant populations would lose more jobs due to the pandemic and would be more affected than nationals. In contrast, the data show that the sectoral and occupational allocation of migrants newly settled in Brazil resulted in them having a positive employment balance, even compared to native workers. In addition, we found that the impact of the pandemic was uneven across different groups of migrants, and it depends on economic activity sectors and occupations. This research demystifies the idea that migrants are the first affected by the economic crises. The article brings theoretical contributions from the perspective of south-south migrations.