Global Gender Gaps in the International Migration of Professionals on Linkedin

Elizabeth Jacobs , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Tom Theile, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Daniela Perrotta, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
XInyi Zhao, University of Oxford
Athina Anastasiadou, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
Emilio Zagheni, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)

This paper examines gender differentials in the international migration of professionals, and how this varies by country, industry, age, and years of experience. We construct an immigrant and emigrant Gender Gap Index (iGGI and eGGI) to measure gender gaps in inflows and potential outflows. We use the LinkedIn Advertising and Recruiter platforms as a novel data source, which provides timely and detailed complements to standard migration data. The findings indicate that, among Linkedin users, the global population of immigrant professionals is at gender parity. In contrast, the potential emigrant population is largely male. Thus, men have higher migration aspirations, but men and women have similar rates of mobility. Overall, we find that about 1 in 5 people convert migration aspirations into a move. Our results show that country-level variation in the gender composition of migrants is associated with gender equality, migration policy and wages. Further, women are more mobile in female-dominated industries and at younger ages, while men are more mobile in junior employment cohorts. Finally, we find evidence of positive selection among women migrant professionals in key destination countries for skilled migrants like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

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 Presented in Session 54. Flash session International Migration