The Geographic Mobility of Professional and Technical Manpower

Professional, technical, and kindred workers are the fastest growing segment of the labor force; evidence from the 1960 Census reveals that they are close to twice as migratory as any other occupational stratum. An attempt is made to discover the major determinants of professional mobility, using the 1960 Census of Population one-in-a-thousand sample. In a multiple regression analysis age accounts for most of the explained variance in mobility, followed by income, education, regional location, sex, family size and marital status. Factor analysis suggests that migration is linked primarily to occupational career mobility and family life cycle. Occupational determinants are more closely scrutinized in a breakdown of detailed professional occupations by mobility. The analysis suggests several characteristics of work organizations and careers that influence geographic mobility. Other sources of mobility are discussed, and the relevance of the study for research on labor mobility is noted.