The Economics of Migration: An Empirical Analysis with Special Referenceto the Role of Job Mobility

Abstract

This article continues the work on the analysis of the individual's decision to migrate, but differs from the previous studies by focusing on the relationship between job mobility and migration. First, the proportion of geographic mobility that occurs in conjunction with a job change is calculated. Second, it is shown that the true effects of human capital variables, job characteristics, and family variables on the decision to migrate are best measured when one takes account of the relationship between migration and job mobility. Third, the effect of migration on the wage gains of individuals is studied and again the need for distinguishing among moves that were associated with quits, layoffs, and transfers is clearly shown. Finally, by using three data sets that encompass different age groups (the National Longitudinal Surveys [NLS] of Young and Mature Men and the Coleman-Rossi Retrospective Life History Study), the importance of the relationship between migration and job mobility is demonstrated at different points in the life cycle.