Occupational Mobility in Austria. Preferences and individual characteristics for the workers to undertake an occupational change

Master's Thesis , 2020 , 93 Pages , Grade: 2

Economics - Job market economics

The thesis consists of two parts. The first part presents theoretical concepts of occupational mobility. The literature distinguishes between the horizontal re-sorting approach and the vertical one. In my opinion the vertical re-sorting approach reflects the real world more accurately. This approach allows for higher as well as for lower wage earnings of the workers after an occupational change. The second part contains an overview of occupational mobility rates, possible reasons for changing the occupation, and transitions matrices of occupational movements in other countries. However, the second part also looks at Austria: How does occupational mobility looks like in Austria? Do Austrian workers have preferences to move from one occupation to another? What are possible individual characteristics for the workers to undertake an occupational change?

The thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 2 gives a literature review of publications mainly regarding occupational mobility but at some points, it also covers issues regarding jobs. Chapter 3 explains the concept of occupational movements. Chapter 4 gives an overview of theoretical concepts of occupational mobility. These concepts are grouped into two approaches, the horizontal and the vertical re-sorting approach. The horizontal re-sorting approach allows only movements upward the wage transition. Note that the wage transition explains changes of the received wages of the workers. In contrast, in the vertical re-sorting approach movements in both directions along the wage transition are possible. Chapter 5 summarizes the results about occupational mobility rates for some regions, such as Europe, Germany, France, the United States.

The main purpose of chapter 6 is to discuss possible influences why a worker may undertake an occupational movement. Chapter 7 shows matrices that represent the occupational movements of the workers between occupation pairs. Chapter 8 presents my empirical analysis of the occupational mobility in Austria. Next, I investigate the occupational movements of the Austrian workers, in the understanding that an occupational movement is a concrete move from one occupation to a new occupation. After that, I perform an analysis of the influence of individual characteristics on an occupational movement, followed by an illustration of possible reasons why a currently employed worker would begin the search for another job.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Literature review
• 3 Occupational mobility: What is it and how to measure it
  • 3.1 Definitions and differences
  • 3.2 How to effectively measure occupational mobility?
• 4 Theoretical concepts
  • 4.1 The idea of horizontal re-sorting matches.
    • 4.1.1 Role of human capital and occupational mobility
    • 4.1.2 Firm size and occupational mobility.
  • 4.2 Concept of vertical re-sorting matches.
• 5 Results overview of occupational mobility
  • 5.1 Occupational mobility on the European level
  • 5.2 Occupational mobility in France
  • 5.3 Results of occupational mobility in Germany
  • 5.4 Britain occupational mobility results
  • 5.5 Switches in occupation in Denmark
  • 5.6 A look at occupational mobility in the United States
• 6 Reasons for occupational mobility
  • 6.1 The role of worker's individual characteristics for occupational movements
    • 6.1.1 Workers' individual characteristics at the European level
    • 6.1.2 Individual factors of occupational changes in Britain and Germany.
    • 6.1.3 The individual causes of occupational changes in the US
  • 6.2 The role of wages to change the occupation.
  • 6.3 The influence of previous occupations
  • 6.4 Effect of the firm size on occupational mobility
• 7 Occupational movement of the workers
• 8 Austrian empirical results
  • 8.1 Datasets
    • 8.1.1 EU-LFS dataset.
    • 8.1.2 AUSSDA dataset
    • 8.1.3 Restrictions and weaknesses
  • 8.2 Occupational mobility rates
  • 8.3 Occupational movements
  • 8.4 Influence of individual characteristics on occupational changes
  • 8.5 Reasons for workers to look for another job.
• 9 Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This Master's thesis analyzes occupational mobility in Austria. It aims to understand the factors influencing occupational changes and how these changes impact workers' careers and the economy. The thesis will provide insights into the dynamics of occupational mobility in Austria, considering both individual and structural factors.

• Factors influencing occupational mobility in Austria
• Impact of occupational changes on workers' careers
• Analysis of individual and structural factors contributing to occupational mobility
• Comparison of Austrian occupational mobility patterns to those in other European countries and the United States
• Exploration of the role of education, skills, wages, and firm size in shaping occupational transitions

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Chapter 1: Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the research topic and its significance, outlining the key questions and objectives of the study.
• Chapter 2: Literature review: This chapter examines existing research on occupational mobility, discussing various theoretical frameworks and empirical findings from different countries.
• Chapter 3: Occupational mobility: What is it and how to measure it: This chapter defines and clarifies the concept of occupational mobility, exploring different approaches to measuring it and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
• Chapter 4: Theoretical concepts: This chapter examines the theoretical frameworks that explain occupational mobility, including the role of human capital, firm size, and the concept of re-sorting matches.
• Chapter 5: Results overview of occupational mobility: This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of occupational mobility findings on the European level and in specific countries like France, Germany, Britain, Denmark, and the United States.
• Chapter 6: Reasons for occupational mobility: This chapter delves into the various factors that motivate workers to change their occupations, examining the role of individual characteristics, wages, previous occupations, and firm size.
• Chapter 7: Occupational movement of the workers: This chapter analyzes the different types of occupational changes observed in the data, exploring the transitions between different job categories and the factors influencing these movements.
• Chapter 8: Austrian empirical results: This chapter presents the empirical findings on occupational mobility in Austria, based on specific datasets and analytical techniques. It examines occupational mobility rates, patterns of occupational changes, and the influence of individual factors on these changes.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This research focuses on occupational mobility, examining the individual and structural factors influencing occupational changes. The core concepts include human capital, firm size, wages, and the impact of these factors on workers' career trajectories. The thesis employs empirical methods to analyze data from Austria and other European countries, aiming to provide valuable insights into the dynamics of occupational mobility in the modern labor market.

• College: University of Graz (Volkswirtschaftslehre)
• Grade: 2
• Author: Christian Grübler (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 93
• Catalog Number: V957840
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346314185
• ISBN (Book): 9783346314192
• Language: English
• Tags: Beschäftigungsmobilität, Arbeitsmarkt