Does post-enlargement emigration from Poland impact on the wages of Poles?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the impact emigration has had on real wages in Poland after its accession to the EU. The elasticity of wages with respect to emigration is examined using the Polish LFS, conducted from 2004 to 2009. The results show that a 10% decrease in the labour force caused by emigration brings about a 2-4% increase in wages. Some divisions of the dataset and the investigation show significant differences in the results for different socio-demographic groups, defined with regard to sex, age or employment sector. Two separate periods of prosperity and recession were also taken into account in the analyses.