## Colombia: Selected Issues

_IMF Staff Country Reports, April 17, 2020_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Colombia: Selected Issues](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/cr/issues/2020/04/16/colombia-selected-issues-49332)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/cr/issues/2020/04/16/colombia-selected-issues-49332/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/cr/issues/2020/04/16/colombia-selected-issues-49332/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/cr/issues/2020/04/16/colombia-selected-issues-49332/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Published: April 17, 2020
- Series: IMF Staff Country Reports
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513540641.002

---

### Overview
- Focus: Venezuelan migration and the labor market.
- Magnitude: Over 2 million migrants have crossed the border from Venezuela and continue to join Colombia’s labor market.
- General labor market condition: Remains weak overall with rising unemployment and falling participation.

### Findings on labor market impacts
- Displacement effects: There is so far little evidence of displacement effects on account of immigration.
- Absorption channel: The Colombian informal sector has capably absorbed most of the migrant inflow.
- Local labor markets: A more granular view of Colombia’s local labor markets does not show weaker employment outcomes in those that have received the most migrants.
- Skills and allocation:
  - Many migrant workers are highly skilled.
  - A large share of these skilled workers are attached to the informal sector.
  - Evidence of labor misallocation highlights integration challenges.

### Policy responses and recommendations
- Continue and strengthen integration policies to address labor misallocation and better match skills to formal sector opportunities.
- Government action: Efforts are underway to accelerate the validation of Venezuelan degrees to ease the integration of professional migrants.
- Education integration: Measures aim to assist high-school educated migrants who wish to continue their university studies in Colombia.

*Colombia: Selected Issues, April 17, 2020*

---

## Content in this bundle

- **Colombia: Selected Issues; IMF Country Report No. 20/105; April 2, 2020**
  - [Colombia: Selected Issues; IMF Country Report No. 20/105; April 2, 2020 (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/cr/2020/english/1colea2020002.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Colombia: Selected Issues; IMF Country Report No. 20/105; April 2, 2020 (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/cr/2020/english/1colea2020002.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

---

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/cr/issues/2020/04/16/colombia-selected-issues-49332_