The Impact of the 1962 Repatriates from Algeria on the French Labor Market

This paper uses census data to examine the impact on the French labor market of the 900,000 people repatriated from Algeria in 1962. Repatriates settled in regions culturally and climatically similar to Algeria, and represented 1.6% of the total French labor force in 1968. Estimates indicate that the repatriates increased the 1968 unemployment of non-repatriates by at most 0.3 percentage points. Average annual salaries were lower by at most 1.3% in 1967 due to their arrival. No evidence is found that potential immigrants from abroad and migrants within France were discouraged from moving to areas with many repatriates.