Patterns Of Occupational Mobility Research Articles

Challenging transitions? Assessing the occupational mobility patterns of US immigrants by gender

AbstractThis article uses the New Immigrant Survey to assess the occupational mobility of US immigrants. Estimates from OLS and Heckman selection models show the occupational mobility of immigrants follows a U‐shaped pattern: immigrants arriving in the United States see their occupational status decline before it gradually improves. However, even 9 years after coming to the United States, the occupational status of immigrants remains lower than prior to their arrival in the country. Our findings also suggest that immigrant women with higher occupational status tend to move more often to the United States than immigrant men. Conversely, immigrant women are more likely than men to experience career interruptions after migration. Finally, occupational employment growth rates (defined as the growth rate in the number of jobs for an occupation) have a positive impact on both men and women immigrants' ability to recover their occupational status, though the impact appears to be greater for immigrant women.

Dynamic Labor Reallocation with Heterogeneous Skills and Uninsured Idiosyncratic Risk

Occupational specificity of human capital motivates an important role of occupational reallocation for the economy’s response to shocks and for the dynamics of inequality. We introduce occupational mobility, through a random choice model with dynamic value function optimization, into a multi-sector/multi-occupation Bewley (1980)- Aiyagari (1994) model with heterogeneous income risk, liquid and illiquid assets, price adjustment costs, and in which households differ by their occupation-specific skills. Labor income is a combination of endogenous occupational wages and idiosyncratic shock. Occupational reallocation and its impact on the economy depend on the transferability of workers’ skills across occupations and occupational specialization of the production function. The model matches well the statistics on income and wealth inequality, and the patterns of occupational mobility. It provides a laboratory for studying the short- and long-run effects of occupational shocks, automation and task encroaching on income and wealth inequality. We apply the model to the pandemic recession by adding an SIR block with occupation-specific infection risk and a ZLB policy and study the impact of occupational and aggregate labor supply shocks. We find that occupational mobility may tame the effect of the shocks but amplifies earnings inequality, as compared to a model without mobility.

Dynamic Labor Reallocation with Heterogeneous Skills and Uninsured Idiosyncratic Risk

Occupational specificity of human capital motivates an important role of occupational reallocation for the economy's response to shocks and for the dynamics of inequality. We introduce occupational mobility, through a random choice model with dynamic value function optimization, into a multi-sector/multi-occupation Bewley-Aiyagari model with heterogeneous income risk, liquid and illiquid assets, price adjustment costs, and in which households differ by their occupation-specific skills. Labor income is a combination of endogenous occupational wages and idiosyncratic shock. Occupational reallocation and its impact on the economy depend on the transferability of workers' skills across occupations and occupational specialization of the production function. The model matches well the statistics on income and wealth inequality, and the patterns of occupational mobility. It provides a laboratory for studying the short- and long-run effects of occupational shocks, automation and task encroaching on income and wealth inequality. We apply the model to the pandemic recession by adding an SIR block with occupation-specific infection risk and a ZLB policy and study the impact of occupational and aggregate labor supply shocks. We find that occupational mobility may tame the effect of the shocks but amplifies earnings inequality, as compared to a model without mobility.

U.S. Occupational Mobility of Children of Immigrants Based on Parents' Origin-Country Occupation.

This study provides a national-level assessment of occupational mobility and early-career attainment of children of immigrants based on parents' origin-country occupation. Exploiting unique aspects of the Educational Longitudinal Study, we examine how parent-child U.S. intergenerational occupational mobility patterns and child occupational attainment differ based on parental premigration occupational status (i.e., low- vs. high-skilled) and parental postmigration occupational mobility (i.e., upward, same, or downward). Our results suggest misestimation in intergenerational mobility research if parents' origin-country occupation is excluded. Including parents' origin-country occupation, we find that the children of immigrants are recovering from instances of parental occupational downgrading, building on parental advances, and advancing where parents could not. Furthermore, most children of immigrants do as well or better occupationally than children of non-Hispanic White natives. Strong educational investments help explain this advantage, particularly for children of high-skilled immigrants. However, results indicate that all children of immigrants would attain even more if they faced fewer postmigration barriers, especially children of low-skilled immigrants. These results advance immigrant selection and assimilation theories by demonstrating how pre- and postmigration factors influence occupational attainment of children of immigrants.

Occupational mobility in Europe during the crisis: Did the social elevator break?

Sudden, disruptive social change resulting from economic crises may affect occupational structure and mobility. However, studies on social mobility have concentrated on secular trends of social change while recent studies on the impact of the Great Recession and the Eurozone debt crisis have focused on unemployment and wages. Therefore, it is unclear what effect these economic crises had on occupational mobility. In this study, I sketch out a theory of occupational mobility during economic crises reviewing arguments for downgrading (threat of the ‘reserve army’), polarization (labour market segmentation) and upgrading (‘creative destruction’) from the literature. Then, I discuss how institutions in different types of market economies in Europe moderate these effects. Afterwards, I compare patterns of occupational mobility as movements between different skill levels in Europe before and during the Great Recession and the Eurozone crisis using longitudinal data from the EU-SILC for 27 European countries. First, I examine mobility rates; second, I fit a series of log-linear topological models to test whether upgrading, downgrading or polarization prevailed during the crisis. To account for differences in unemployment and re-employment risks, I include unemployment in the analysis. The results show that downward mobility in particular soared during the crisis, especially in the mixed market economies.

Occupational mobility, employment transitions and job quality in Europe: The impact of the Great Recession

This article investigates employment and occupational transitions that are behind structural changes in European labour markets before, during and after the Great Recession. The study introduces a new methodological approach for studying labour market flows considering the quality of the jobs from and into which the flows are taking place by differentiating them into wage quintiles. The analysis compares six European countries that are usually associated with different institutional clusters – France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. It tracks the transitions of their working age populations into and out of inactivity, unemployment and employment (in five wage categories). The findings show the extent to which employment and occupational mobility patterns differ across European countries, resulting in very different outcomes in terms of employment opportunities and life chances. Results also suggest that the countries studied fall into three distinct categories based on the degree of occupational mobility characterising their economies.

An exploratory study of the occupational mobility patterns of African American women working in public sector parks and recreation organizations in the United States

ABSTRACT Research Question: The purpose of this study was to provide an update on the status of African American working women in public parks and recreation (city and county) in the United States. Three research questions guided this study: (1) What is the occupational mobility pattern for the sample of African American female public parks and recreation employees from 2010–2015?; (2) Is there a relationship between select demographic variables and occupational mobility within the sample population?; and (3) What are the sample population's perceptions about race and gender as potential barriers to occupational mobility? Research Methods: A 50-item e-survey was developed utilizing Qualtrics and was sent to study participants via e-mail. The survey contained three sections: (1) perceived status (importance of the position in the organization) of 17 common occupational titles; (2) information about occupational mobility; and (3) demographic information. The occupational titles used in the present study were consistent with the titles used in previous occupational mobility studies in public parks and recreation and in previous National Recreation and Park Association salary surveys. Results and Findings: Overall, the majority of the sample (79.6%, n = 90) did not experience any mobility between 2010–2015; 16% (15.9%, n = 18) were upwardly mobile, and the remaining 4.4% (n = 4) experienced downward mobility. A weak but significant association was found between the variables mobility pattern and position type [X 2 (6, N = 113) = 13.20, p = .04; V = .24]. However, no significant associations were found between mobility pattern, age, number of years of experience in public parks and recreation, marital status, minor children at home, educational level and income, respectively. When the respondents were asked whether they were presently seeking a position that they felt would be a career advancement, 53.1% (n = 60) indicated “yes” while the remaining 46.9% (n = 53) responded “no”. Implications: The respondents in the study indicated that their race or gender served as a facilitator or deterrent to occupational mobility. The women in this study were interested in advancing their careers, but considered multiple factors before pursuing opportunities. In order to more accurately examine career mobility “exit” data should be examined.

Unemployment and Endogenous Reallocation Over the Business Cycle

We build an analytically and computationally tractable stochastic equilibrium model of unemployment in heterogeneous labor markets. Facing search frictions within markets and reallocation frictions between markets, workers endogenously separate from employment and endogenously reallocate between markets, in response to changing aggregate and local conditions. Empirically, using the 1986-2008 SIPP panels, we document the occupational mobility patterns of the unemployed, finding notably that occupational change of unemployed workers is procyclical. The heterogeneous-market model yields highly volatile countercyclical unemployment, and is simultaneously consistent with procyclical reallocation, countercyclical separations and a negatively-sloped Beveridge curve. Moreover, the model exhibits unemployment duration dependence, which (when calibrated to long-term averages) responds realistically to the business cycle, creating substantial longer-term unemployment in downturns. Finally, the model is also consistent with different employment and reallocation outcomes as workers gain experience in the labor market, on average and over the business cycle.

Occupational Mobility and Economic Development in the Dhobis of Dibrugarh and Duliajan Towns of Assam

The Dhobis in Assam is passing through gradual economic development due to occupational mobility since independence. The traditional economic way of life of Dhobis has been changing gradually. Therefore, this paper aims to study pattern of occupational mobility and analyse its role for their economic development. The data were collected on 25th Oct to 3rd Dec 2015 by administering structured interview schedule to a random sample of Dhobi respondents in Dibrugarh and Duliajan towns in upper Assam.

Incorporación de inmigrantes sudamericanos en Santiago de Chile: redes migratorias y movilidad ocupacional

The article explores the characteristics of the incorporation of South American immigrants in Santiago. Based on survey data, the analysis focused on the importance of using networks at the time of arriving in the city and looking for work, and the trajectories of occupational mobility of immigrants in relation to their positions in origin. The results shows the key role of social capital in the processes of incorporation into the city, the existence of differentiated and heterogeneous incorporation trajectories among the different national groups, and the presence of a segmented U-shaped pattern of occupational mobility.

Labor market segmentation and occupational mobility in Algeria: Repeated cross‐sectional and longitudinal analyses (2007 to 2012)

AbstractThe paper identifies the determinants and the patterns of occupational mobility across the formal/informal employment divide as well as within the informal sector. Cross‐sectional analyses are applied to two samples (1,252 and 2,026 individuals) from two representative household surveys conducted in 2007 and 2012 in Bejaia, an east‐central region of Algeria. In the first place, using a Mincer earnings function shows there is a substantial wage gap regarding the formal/informal wage employment divide. However, human capital theory applies to formal employees rather than to informal ones. Hence, labor market segmentation is not reducible to earnings functions. In the second place, a multinomial logit model captures the determinants of occupational mobility, which depend on the characteristics of individuals: age, gender, marital status, and human capital. Finally, the paper explores from a longitudinal perspective a cohort of 445 individuals both surveyed in 2007 and 2012. The aforementioned determinants explain the patterns of occupational mobility of active individuals who experience a change that improves or deteriorates their job position, while shifting in both directions across the formal and the informal sector and within the informal sector.

Dynamics of the formal and informal labour in Brazil: occupational and earnings mobility

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss recent dynamics of the Brazilian labour market, by analysing occupational mobility patterns, specially the transitions between formal and informal labour, and verify the earnings mobility resulting from these transitions, separately by gender.Design/methodology/approachThe changes in the mobility patterns are analysed by performing an estimation of the transition probabilities between different occupational status between 2002 and 2012, using a multinomial logit model and the microdata from the Monthly Employment Survey (PME). The earnings mobility is analysed by using quantile regressions.FindingsThe results indicate a high degree of mobility from unemployment to formal employment in the period but suggest the persistence of mobility patterns. Women are better off in the period, but only among individuals with better attributes. The earnings mobility results, for women and men, suggest an increase in valuation of the formal labour relatively to informality (informal salaried employment and self-employment), especially at the bottom of the earnings distribution.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a better understanding of recent changes in occupational mobility patterns between formal and informal labour and the earnings mobility underlying these patterns, accounting for the differences along the earnings distribution and gender issues. That is, it allows identify which groups of workers benefited more from the formalisation process to infer about trends in formal–informal dynamics over the period and discuss the challenges in conducting policies to promote inclusive and quality employment.

Crossing the Border for Higher Status? Occupational Mobility of East–West Commuters in the Central European Region

This article discusses cross-border occupational mobility of workers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia who found employment in Austria. We illustrate this topic using data from a longitudinal survey on the employment careers of 1,347 cross-border commuters working in Austria conducted in the winter/spring of 2012/13. Empirically, we demonstrate that despite efforts to diminish structural inequalities between the regions, differences in unemployment and poverty rates continue to play a role. We further find that the majority of cross-border commuters have a different socioeconomic structure than locally residing Austrians overall commuters mostly show mid-level qualifications and work in branches with a high demand for labor (e.g., construction, gastronomy, health industry). Against this background, we pursue the following research question: to what extent are the patterns of occupational mobility of cross-border commuters in Austria influenced by sociodemographic factors, human capital, social capital, and labor market characteristics?

Mapping the Social Class Structure: From Occupational Mobility to Social Class Categories Using Network Analysis

This article develops a new explorative method for deriving social class categories from patterns of occupational mobility. In line with Max Weber, our research is based on the notion that, if class boundaries do not inhibit social mobility then the class categories are of little value. Thus, unlike dominant, theoretically defined class schemes, this article derives social class categories from observed patterns in a mobility network covering intra-generational mobility. The network is based on a mobility table of 109 occupational categories tied together by 1,590,834 job shifts on the Danish labour market 2001–2007. The number of categories are reduced from 109 to 34 by applying a new clustering algorithm specifically designed for the study of mobility tables (MONECA). These intra-generational social class categories are related to the central discussions of gender, income, education and political action by providing empirical evidence of strong patterns of intra-generational class divisions along these lines.

Political Economy of Work and Employability Educational Challenges and Boundaryless Careers of Youth

The convergence of an aging society, knowledge economy, and professional labor mobility introduces issues for education. Societies are approaching a norm of social politics organized around flexible labor markets and structural exclusion which alters the access to social inclusion through education and employment. The analysis of national education and employment policy is important in the context of a contemporary crisis of capital. The local communities, Taiwan accommodates global capital by deregulating and opening up its markets, takes active interest in the competition for the best brains, and develops a cosmopolitan outlook. The author addresses the rescaling processes affecting Taiwan in which youth are settling. The aim of this paper is to examine some key aspects of social change in Taiwan, which has undergone significant changes in its occupational structure, labor market, economy, and educational provision since the 1980s. The material of the paper draws on three levels. The first deals with the structural and institutional transformations, and some key aspects in its political economy, labor market and education. The second is concerned with occupational and social mobility patterns and trends, and their association with the changing role of education. Finally, this paper explores the experiences of youth to gain an understanding of the social, political, and cultural factors that impinge on school-to-work and social mobility outcomes.

Restructuring and Changes in Occupational Mobility in U.S.

This study aims to estimate the impact of US restructuring during the late 1990s and the early 2000s on workers’ career trajectories, in terms of changes in patterns of occupational mobility. In this study, I introduce various middle range theories that emphasize specific aspects of restructuring and test whether their predictions regarding the impact of restructuring on workers’ careers accurately account for observed patterns of occupational mobility. Based on estimation from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the result shows that the career trajectory of U.S. workers has significantly changed since 1990 and, more importantly, the profiles of the changes have been remarkably different between internal mobility and external mobility. Most notably, occupational immobility has increased among workers who stayed in the same firm and decreased among workers who switched firms. To conclude, employment restructuring in the U.S. appears to have proceeded in a way that incorporates both functional flexibility and numerical flexibility, creating polarized groups of “organizational insiders” and “organizational outsiders.” As a result, workers’ career trajectories have been significantly transformed both inside and outside organizations.

Intergenerational Social Mobility in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

The aim of this paper is to bridge the gaps in existing accounts of the evolution of intergenerational social mobility in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. The study makes a potentially valuable contribution to the literature by extending the spectrum of institutional and historical contexts, in which (in)equality of opportunity has been considered so far, and a chance to re-examine existing evidence by using alternative datasets and a slightly different methodology. Following the conventions in the social mobility literature in this study I approach social destinations and social origins in terms of educational and occupational attainments of children and their parents respectively. For empirical part I utilize data from four representative cross-national surveys conducted in Russia in 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2013. To study historical change in the patterns of social mobility I identify four cohorts whose educational and occupational careers unfolded during four different historical periods (two for the Soviet and two for the post-Soviet period). Being informed by several earlier studies on post-socialist countries including earlier research on Russia, I anticipated (1) a trend towards lesser (rather than greater) openness in the late years of the Soviet era, (2) a temporary discontinuity of mobility patterns during the turbulent 1990s and (3) the ‘tightening up’ of social mobility regime in the more stable years of Russia’s post-Soviet history. If any such trend existed, my findings would rather suggest that it was directed towards decreasing intergenerational transmission of educational advantage in the post-Soviet era, rather than the other way around. Also, surprisingly and quite contrary to earlier findings and theoretical considerations, the changes in the pattern of occupational mobility remained surprisingly invariant to the changes in historical and institutional context. The paper concludes with highlighting some of the remaining puzzles and possible directions for future research.

Where Have the Middle-Wage Workers Gone? A Study of Polarization Using Panel Data

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the effects of routine-biased technical change on occupational transition patterns and wage changes of individual workers using a general equilibrium model with endogenous sorting of workers into occupations. Consistent with the predictions of the model, data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics show strong evidence of selection on ability in the occupational mobility patterns of routine workers, a significant fall in the wage premium in routine occupations, and faster wage growth over long-run horizons for workers switching out of routine jobs relative to those who stay.

Mobility strategies, ‘mobility differentials’ and ‘transnational exit’: the experiences of precarious migrants in London’s hospitality jobs

This article explores the patterns of occupational and geographical mobility of migrant hospitality workers, drawing on participatory research in London. It focuses on the ways in which migrants strategize around temporary employment and move across different jobs and locations trying to improve their precarious lives. Combining labour process theory and the perspective of the autonomy of migration the author reviews the concept of ‘mobility power’ as a form of resistance to degrading work. The findings illustrate that, while certain categories of migrants remain trapped in temporary employment, others manage to move on occupationally, develop aspects of their lives beyond work and engage in new migration. The main argument is that, in contrast to mainstream accounts of migrants’ labour market incorporation, migrant temp workers use their transnational exit power to quit bad jobs and defy employers’ assumptions about their availability to work under poor conditions.

Gravitational Model of the Occupational Mobility of the Higher Education Graduates

Our paper explores the patterns of occupational mobility using a theoretical framework which integrates elements from job matching and human capital theories. We employ a network analysis approach and consider occupations as nodes and flows of individuals moving from one occupation to another as links. By testing a gravity model on data containing working histories of higher education graduates in their first years of employment, we identify factors shaping occupational mobility from their first to second job.