GEOGRAPHICAL MOBILITY AND OCCUPATIONAL OUTCOMES IN WESTERN EUROPE. A COMPARISON BETWEEN ITALY, UK AND GERMANY

The aim of my research is to study internal geographical mobility and its association with social mobility in a comparative perspective for selected countries in Europe, namely Italy, UK and Germany using longitudinal data. The first part of my thesis focuses on the selection process that takes place in the movements of the population. What are the characteristics of individuals who move? How are they different from the non-movers in terms of education, social origin, civil status? The second part will analyze how geographic mobility affects labour market outcomes. Are individuals who move more likely to have an upward occupational mobility? Since geographic mobility affects men and women differently, a dedicated section will focus on gender differences in these trajectories. To test the research hypothesis I use random-effect and fixed-effect probability models with panel data. The results show differences between the countries in term of selection processes and social mobility. The empirical results also confirm that women gain less from migration in terms of occupational outcomes compared to men.