On the Move: Determinants of Job and Residential Mobility in Different Sectors

This study identifies and evaluates determinants of employees’ job and residential mobility. It examines the mobility of full-time employees in selected sectors in 2003/04, using register data for the Netherlands. A multinomial model of job and residential change is estimated. The results illustrate how individuals decide upon changing jobs and/or relocating by taking into account the strength of family- and job-related ties, career opportunities within and outside the firm, and attachment to the present dwelling. A long commuting distance was found to encourage both job and housing mobility, often simultaneously. Employees living/working in large cities are prone to change jobs, or to relocate. The influence of human capital indicators on mobility was found to be highly sector-dependent.