Labor Mobility and Structural Change in Pittsburgh

Since the 1950s, manufacturing employment in Pittsburgh has declined. Exceptionally sharp declines occurred in the early 1980s. Between 1977 and 1982 about 10 percent of the manufacturing workforce was displaced. Job losers' compensation went down by about 11 percent ($6,430) over the first three years following displacement. At the same time, employment expanded in service-producing industries and average compensation increased sufficiently to boost total payroll. The shift benefited women more than men, although men's earnings in some service jobs reached the levels of those in manufacturing. On balance, restructuring aided Pittsburgh's economy, but there were adjustment problems that merit attention. Because well-paid service jobs require much more education than displaced blue-collar workers possess, it makes sense to help dislocated workers find jobs similar to those they lost. It is possible to do so. About 16 percent of the job vacancies in Pittsburgh between 1977 and 1982 were in manufacturing.     

Dynamics of job satisfaction around internal migrations: a panel analysis of young people in Britain and Australia

There is ample evidence that internal migration is a vehicle for upwards economic and social mobility, particularly amongst young educated people, with studies documenting favourable effects on objective labour market outcomes such as employment status, earnings and occupational standing. However, this literature has been more silent about the potential effects of internal migration on subjective measures of utility. In this paper I use panel data from Australia and Britain and panel regression models to examine whether and how internal migration is associated with young people’s self-reported job satisfaction, paying attention to the time dynamics underpinning the associations. This enables gaining a more holistic picture of the outcomes associated with internal migration during early adulthood. Key findings indicate that long-distance and work-motivated migrations have positive and statistically significant effects on the job satisfaction of young people in Britain and Australia, particularly amongst those who hold university degrees. Additionally, the results reveal time patterns in the ways in which job satisfaction and residential mobility intersect: long-term trends in job dissatisfaction can trigger internal migration, and internal migration can set long-term onwards trends in job satisfaction. I conclude by calling for further research on the outcomes of internal migration on subjective well-being leveraging the properties of panel data and using a life course approach.     

Job-related migration in the Netherlands. The role of geographical access to employment in a polynucleated urban region

Over the last few decades, the Netherlands’ economic urban landscape has developed into a polynucleated urban structure. The resulting spatial distribution of job opportunities influences geographical job access at the individual level. This paper addresses the question, to what extent does spatial variation in job access within the Netherlands polynucleated urban structure influence job-related migration? First, it is shown that there are large differences in job access in the Netherlands in both the total number of jobs and in job levels. Scores on job access are higher in strategic residential locations in between the major cities in the polynucleated urban region of the Randstad than in the major cities themselves. Second, using data from the Netherlands Housing Demand survey and logistic regression models, it is shown that the probability of job-related migration decreases as the number of jobs within reach of the residence increases. The analyses control for both individual and household characteristics. The results show that strategic residential locations in between the major cities are as favourable as the cities themselves in terms of avoiding high spatial mobility costs.     

The Uneven Distribution of Employment Opportunities: Neighborhood and Race in Cleveland,Ohio

The passage of new welfare legislation has intensified questions regarding the relative availability of job opportunities. While unemployment rates nationwide are low, some scholars argue that job opportunities are not evenly distributed between neighborhoods and that whatever opportunities exist do not match the skills of the nearby labor pool. This article examines the number of jobs available to people within very small-scale labor markets in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) and Lorain County, Ohio. Job opportunity indices are then compared for different types of neighborhoods. Results indicate that neighborhood job opportunities do not vary much by neighborhood income level or metropolitan location. However, predominantly African-American neighborhoods at low- and moderate-income levels endure job opportunities far below those of similarly placed white neighborhoods. Fewer than average job opportunities near lower income black neighborhoods make it harder for people without access to private automobiles or reliable mass transit to obtain jobs.     

All in the family: Self‐selection and migration by couples

This paper examines determinants of couple migration in a model that accounts for self‐selection of migrant couples. The study is based on a sample of married couples from the Swedish population. The model incorporates controls for earnings of both spouses preceding the move, and explicitly addresses unmeasured heterogeneity in the family decision to migrate. Two statistical formulations are presented. In the first version, migration is measured as a dichotomous move/stay decision. A second formulation replaces the dichotomous indicator with the distance moved by migrants. Results suggest that family migration is selective of relatively low earning wives with unmeasured potential for strong earnings.     

Job crafting in project management: Implications for project success and career satisfaction

There is growing evidence that project managers are a heterogeneous group of people. Practitioners hold competing perspectives of project managing and have increasingly greater agency in the choice of tools and method used in their roles. Using job crafting theory, we contribute to the literature on project management careers by measuring how, and to what extent, project managers customise their jobs to better fit their motives, strengths and passions. Job crafting involves self-initiated behaviours that shape, mould, and change job design to better suit the individual. Using structural equation modelling and a sample of IT project managers (N = 245) the objectives of the paper seek to i) establish whether one's perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour, ii) explore how job crafting is used in project management and, iii) ascertain whether the benefit of job crafting is individual, project-based or both. The findings show that a value creation perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour. A performative link between task crafting and project success is established which in turn impacts long term career satisfaction. In contrast, relational crafting by project managers positively contributes to job satisfaction, but does not support project success.     

Willingness for different job mobility types and wage expectations: An empirical analysis based on the online resumes

In this paper, we study different determinants of the intentions of multi-dimensional job mobility and potential consequences on the expected wage, allowing for multiple types of moves, including location, industry, and occupation, and different combinations of these three dimensions. Our results confirm that the same observable characteristics can lead to different or even completely opposite effects on job mobility intentions. To be specific, on-the-job seekers (compared to unemployed ones) and job seekers with management positions in their last jobs both have a higher willingness to change job locations, but they are less willing to change industries and occupations. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the relationship between job mobility and wage expectations highly depends on the combinations of different mobility dimensions. Specifically, potential geographic mobility positively impacts wage expectations, with an increase of the expected wage by 6.3%. However, changing industry, occupation, or both results in a lower expected wage by 3.7%, 1.6%, and 11%, respectively. The wage expectation of the “All change” group does not significantly differ from the cohort of non-movers (i.e., “No change”), implying that geographic moves could only partially offset the adverse effects of switching both occupation and industry.     

Strategies for reducing employee turnover and increasing retention rates of quantity surveyors

Quantity surveyors (QS) play an important role in the construction industry. There is therefore a need to reduce their job turnover, by minimizing their intention to quit the job (turnover intention) and improving their job satisfaction. Turnover intention was operationalized as the number of years QS are likely to remain in the profession (Y1) and in their present firms (Y2). The aims are to investigate job and jobholder characteristics that significantly affect Y1 and Y2; and provide recommendations to reduce QS’ turnover intentions. Using questionnaire survey, data were collected via e-mail from randomly selected QS in Singapore. Correlation analysis revealed that to reduce turnover, QS should be given competitive monetary and non-monetary benefits, and autonomy in decision making. To reverse turnover intention of well-performing QS who are ensconced in their firms, firms could enrich QS’ jobs so that their growth needs are met and they feel a sense of accomplishment. Certain characteristics of QS and their jobs give rise to job satisfaction, and therefore designing quantity surveying jobs that take in these characteristics may decrease turnover intention. The relevant characteristics that should be included in the design of QS’ jobs to increase retention rates are task significance, autonomy and feedback.     

Urban growth effects on rural population, export and service employment: evidence from eastern France

This paper examines how the spatial pattern of urban growth in functional economic regions influences the interplay of rural export employment, rural services employment, and population change in rural areas. Using an extension of the Boarnet’s model (Papers in Regional Science 73:135–153, 1994), we find that urban spread effects to rural areas in France are more likely than urban backwash effects, and that spatial urban (both dynamic and static) externalities affect rural population and employment growth. In the functional economic regions where the urban core is declining and the urban fringe is expanding, urban population growth involves an increase in rural export employment, and larger change in service employment favors rural population growth. However, urban export job growth reduces the growth in rural service jobs and expanding urban service jobs reduce rural export jobs, suggesting that expanding urban employment opportunities draws employees away from proximate rural communities. Conversely, where both urban core and fringe are growing, we observe an urban spread effect from the urban export sector to rural services—an export base multiplier effect with a spatial dimension—and from urban population growth to rural service employment.

Self-selectivity problems in interregional and interindustry migration in Canada

This study is concerned with the role that inter-industry mobility plays in the decision to migrate in Canada, and also with the joint impact on earnings of inter-industry and interregional migration, corrected for selectivity bias. The data, for the period 1970-1971, are from a one percent random sample of a micro data base established by the Unemployment Insurance Commission. "Contrary to the commonly held belief that a migrant's decision to change his location is independent of his decision to change his industry of employment, this paper provides evidence that these movements are in fact interrelated."     

Job mobility, residential mobility and commuting: A theoretical analysis using search theory

The decision to move job and the decision to move residence are closely related dynamic discrete choices, as both moves involve a change of commuting distance. This suggests that labour and residential mobility are mutually dependent and should be simultaneously analysed, based on a theory which incorporates these dynamic decisions explicitly. In the present paper, we base our analysis on search theory and choose the point of departure that individuals maximise utility by moving through different labour market and housing market states, while taking into consideration that moving from one state to another is costly. Based on these assumptions, a search model is constructed and the optimality conditions are derived.  One of main conclusions based on the search model is that the effect of factors which cause housing market imperfections (viz. the residential moving costs and the residence arrival rate) have ambiguous effects on he job acceptance and job search behaviour of employed individuals. For some interesting cases however, the effect of the residential moving costs on the job acceptance behaviour can be derived. In contrast, the effect of housing market imperfections on the labour market behaviour of nonemployed persons is determined. We find for example that housing policies which discourage nonemployed persons to move residence (e.g. housing subsidies) also decrease the probability of becoming employed and may therefore unintentionally increase the number of nonemployed persons. Received: December 1997/Accepted: March 1999     

Barriers and foresight in international labor-migration

"In the presence of barriers to mobility, migration behavior depends importantly on a worker's planning horizon. Although a myopic worker will accept the job offer promising the greatest immediate utility, a worker with foresight also values the opportunities that a job offers, to gain access to more highly valued alternatives. A model of labor migration based on these ideas...shows the importance of institutional arrangements and lends itself to the discussion of policy measures to influence labor migration....[The proposed model] is one of large-scale labor-migration [and] focuses on the availability of jobs, the worker's planning horizon, and how these factors affect his migration decisions."     

Spatial or socioeconomic inequality? Job accessibility changes for low- and high-education population in Beijing,China

Two forces can affect job accessibility: one is regional-level socioeconomic transformation that changes the total amount of job supply and job demand, and the other is intra-regional spatial transformation that affects the distribution of jobs and population. Transitional Chinese cities are experiencing accelerated changes in both forces, which may affect various population groups differently. Using Beijing, China, as a case study, the research tracks changes in job accessibility for the low- and high-education groups between 2000 and 2010 and examines to what extent the two forces affect the two education groups' accessibility changes. Results show that the socioeconomic transformation reduced job accessibility, particularly the for high-education population, while the spatial transformation stratified the city with diverging effects on job accessibility changes of the two education groups. Policies should consider both forces in promoting residents' socioeconomic well-being.     

An economic analysis of migration in Mexico

This paper analyzes internal migration in Mexico over the 1960–1970 period. A model of the determinants of migration is specified and estimated for aggregated interstate migration flows. The results show that distance serves as a significant deterrent to migration, that higher destination earlings levels are attractive to migrants, and that regions with high unemployment rates experience lower rates of in-migration. An unanticipated finding is that regions with higher earnings levels have greater rates of out-migration.The data are disaggregated to examine separate migration relationships for each state. The results are that distance is a lesser deterrent for those migrants with more accessible alternatives, that higher earnings levels reduce the deterring effects of distance, and that regions with higher earnings levels have lower associated elasticities of migration.It is concluded that economic factors have played a crucial role in internal migration and thus in the changing occupational and geographic structure of the Mexican labor force.This research was supported by Grant Number 1-RO-1-HD08567-01 from the Population and Reproduction Grants Branch, Center for Population Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Part of this study was completed at the Food Research Institute, Stanford University, where J. R. Ladman was a Visiting Scholar. We are grateful to Barry Edmonston and Dudley Kirk for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of the paper. Responsibility for remaining shortcomings remains ours.     

Migration,caste and livelihood: evidence from Indian city-slums

This paper based on a primary survey of slum dwellers in four Indian cities examines the caste dimension of migrants and the nexus, if any, between caste and the job market participation. Based on the quantitative exercises, we observe overlaps between social and economic status. A higher propensity to migrate is evident among the population belonging to the general (GEN) category and other backward castes in comparison to the scheduled castes and tribes who are at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. The disadvantaged castes are not even in a position to take the benefits of migration. Further, those with higher caste status seem to have better endowments required for absorption in the urban job market; the migrants of higher caste status are absorbed in relatively better jobs compared to the lower castes. Migrant workers from GEN category draw relatively higher incomes. On the whole, when both the caste and migration dimensions are combined, at the lower echelons, migration does pay if the worker is better off in terms of caste status. From this point of view, it is argued that special programmes offering improved access to livelihood opportunities need to be pursued in the rural areas so that the disadvantaged castes are able to reduce their vulnerability.     

移业就民：人口高流出地区的城镇化策略选择--基于推拉模型的反力研究

通过跨区域的移民来解决本地农村剩余劳动力的就业,是我国城镇化发展的主要路径之一。人口的区域流动为流出地和流入地的经济社会发展都做出了贡献,但是近年来我国大部分地区出现了民工荒和招工难等现象,反映出人口结构和人口迁移的新变化。在宏观分析的基础上,结合若干地区的社会调研,以推拉模型作为研究框架,分析论证了人口流入地的“拉力”变化和人口流出地的“推力”变化。与城市拉力相对应,人口流入地的反推力在逐渐加大;与农村推力相对应,人口流出地的反拉力也在加强。顺应当下推力和拉力的双向变化,指出人口高流出地区在引导农村剩余劳动力外出务工的同时,也要积极通过产业的导入来顺应本地的人口结构,提高本地人口就业,即“移业就民”。最后,结合国家新型城镇化规划提出了若干的延伸探讨。     

Does migration function to reduce earnings differentials by race and gender?

Traditionally, studies of migration have focused on two functions of migration: first, as a means to redistribute society's labor force to its most efficient use and, second, at the level of the individual, as a human capital investment. This study investigates the role of migration in the determination of earnings differentials by race and gender. Microdata from the United Status Census are used to estimate earnings functions by race, gender, and migration status. Strong evidence is provided suggesting that unexplained portions of earnings differentials, reflecting wage discrimination and other unobserved heterogeneity, are substantially reduced for both race and gender through the process of interstate migration.I am grateful to Michael J. Greenwood, Janet M. Rives, and an anonymous referee for insightful comments.     

Evaluating Local Job Creation

This article introduces economic development planners to a new approach to evaluating local job creation efforts, an approach that explicitly considers the chains of employment vacancies that open up when new jobs are created. This “job chains” model is an analytic framework for assessing the employment impacts associated with economic development programs and the social value of those impacts. The approach focuses on measuring the wage gains to job changers and placing realistic values on jobs for those not previously employed in the area. It explicitly considers both efficiency and distributional effects of job creation. We discuss the simple mechanics of the technique and present an example relating to the establishment of a large auto plant in a major Midwestern city. We conclude with practical ground rules for planners carrying out a job chains analysis of an economic development effort.     

EFFICIENCY OF JOB MATCHING MECHANISMS: A CROSS-NATIONAL COMPARISON

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present paper is to gain insight into the efficiency of the labour market information and job matching mechanisms by means of a cross-national analysis of labour force micro data for the Netherlands and the United States. First, the impact of personal and regional unemployment on the decision to migrate is investigated Second, job search success is evaluated by measuring the impacts of the regional Labour market situation and migration on the tre-employment probabilities of the unemployed in both countries. The result is that the Dutch information system which allows nationwide job search from the home area without migration is superior to the U.S. system of speculative migration.