Evaluating the Employment Effects of a Labor Market Integration Program for Syrian Refugees and Turkish Nationals in Türkiye

Causal evidence on the effectiveness of refugee labor market integration programs remains limited. This report presents baseline findings from a randomized controlled trial evaluating such a program for Syrian refugees and Turkish nationals with limited labor market attachment in Türkiye - the world's largest refugee host. The program consists of Turkish language instruction, job readiness training, and subsidized, short-term, on-the-job training in formal enterprises, with a mandated requirement that employers retain a predetermined share of trainees, and expedited work permit processing for selected refugee participants. The evaluation sample includes 2,834 individuals - 79 percent Syrian refugees, 46 percent women, and 39 percent youth - randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, resulting in statistically balanced and evenly sized samples. The baseline findings confirm the successful initial implementation of a credible evaluation design and provide a strong foundation for estimating the program's causal impacts