Accessibility and job search: A study of unemployed school leavers

Abstract

Quinn D. J. (1986) Accessibility and job search: a study of unemployed school leavers, Reg. Studies 20, 163–173. This paper responds to the urgency underlying recent local authority employment initiatives and focuses on the importance of accessibility in the job search behaviour of one particularly vulnerable group of the unemployed. A two-stage survey investigated unemployed school-leavers' familiarity with Birmingham and decisions made in the process of job search. The results of the survey indicate that there are ‘accessible’ areas of the city where jobs are not sought. It is concluded that knowledge of the city and perception of travel provides a more sensitive indication of likely job search patterns than conventional measures of accessibility. This clearly has implications for local authority policies on economic regeneration, employment and transport.