Abstract

How does the structure of recent migrant inflows change when communities experience more migration? I study the change in relative skills of migrants and non-migrants in the context of Indonesian internal migration over a period of 1985-2005. Using novel data of origin municipalities and year of migration, I am able to identify origin-destination-specific migration networks as the stock of established migrants in various locations. I provide empirical results that highlight the role of network size and its economic capital in lowering the degree of positive selection in migration with respect to education. The results suggest that as origin communities accumulate migration experience, the skill level of migrants should decline.