How different are the determinants of population versus labour migration in Germany?

Abstract

This paper studies whether population migration data can be used to answer questions on labour mobility between regions. Using regional data of the Statistisches Bundesamt for population and labour migration, panel data estimations are conducted for the period 1993–1995, as the high average migratory flows of the earlier period, 1989–1992, had settled down. The conclusion emerges that if normalized population and labour migration data are used, the discrepancy in the results is small and this study's results on elasticity coefficients for identical models in each of the cases by and large produce similar results. The major difference emerges with the elasticity coefficient of the housing variable. In general, one may conclude that population migration may be used to examine labour migration issues.