Tanja Buch

What Makes Cities Attractive? The Determinants of Urban Labour Migration in Germany:

Striking disparities characterise the population growth of cities in industrialised countries. Some cities suffer from ongoing population decline, whereas other cities have experienced increasing numbers of inhabitants in recent years. Whether labour market conditions or amenities via their impact on migration primarily account for differences in cities’ demographic development is an important issue. This paper investigates the determinants of the migration balance of German cities between 2000 and 2007. The focus is on the mobility of workers because labour migration in particular affects the future prospects of cities. The findings suggest that not only labour market conditions but also amenities have an impact on the net migration rate. Moreover, large cities seem to be, ceteris paribus, more attractive than small cities. This finding possibly points to the importance of amenities such as cultural infrastructure and matching externalities in urban (labour) markets that are linked to city size. Urban policy aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of cities should thus consider both boosting the local economy and improving the quality of life.

Cross‐border commuting in the Danish‐German border region ‐ integration, institutions and cross‐border interaction

Abstract Although the process of European integration has facilitated labour mobility in the EU to a considerable extent, cross‐border commuting is still at a low level. We provide evidence on labour mobility in the Danish‐German border region. The objective of this paper is to investigate the recent development of cross‐border commuting in the region and whether this reflects increasing labour market integration. We re‐late the development to different theories on cross‐border labour mobility. Our results suggest that much of the pronounced growth of cross‐border commuting is caused by labour market disparities and a proceeding integration of labour markets on both sides of the border. However, an analysis of structural characteristics of cross‐border commuters and their working places indicates that the cross‐border labour market still has specific features. There are significant differences between cross‐border commuters on both sides of the border with respect to income and main branches of employment. Moreover, the analysis points to a pronounced sectoral concentration of cross‐border workers. Due to this “specialisation” there are distinct differences be‐tween the sectoral distribution of cross‐border commuters and the corresponding structure of total employment in the region.

Zeitarbeit als Erwerbseinstieg nach einer dualen Ausbildung The Transition from Vocational Training to Occupational Work via Temporary Employment

Zusammenfassung Werden Jugendliche am Ausbildungsende nicht von ihrem Ausbildungsbetrieb übernommen und finden sie auch in einem anderen Betrieb keine Anstellung in einem regulären Beschäftigungsverhältnis, so stellt die Zeitarbeit eine Option zur Integration in das Erwerbssystem dar. Die Beschäftigung in Leiharbeit an der zweiten Schwelle war bislang nicht Gegenstand der Übergangsforschung. Unsere Untersuchung zeigt, dass Absolventen, die den Erwerbseinstieg über die Leiharbeit vollziehen, ungünstigere Beschäftigungsperspektiven z. B. in Bezug auf Entgelt, Arbeitslosigkeitsbetroffenheit und Berufswechsel haben. Ausgehend von Signaling-Modellen werden die Determinanten einer Leiharbeitsphase nach der Berufsausbildung auf der Basis von Probit-Schätzungen ermittelt. Eine besondere Signalwirkung ist vom Schulabschluss und vom Erfolg in den beruflichen Abschlussprüfungen zu erwarten. Die Nutzung eines unikalen Datensatzes ermöglicht es, die genannten Determinanten explizit zu analysieren. Erwerbseinsteiger ohne Schulabschluss und Hauptschulabsolventen sowie Jugendliche mit schlechten Noten in der Berufsabschlussprüfung haben signifikant geringere Chancen auf eine Anstellung in einem regulären Beschäftigungsverhältnis und integrieren sich häufiger über die Leiharbeit in den Arbeitsmarkt. Die Resultate weisen darauf hin, dass in erster Linie Absolventen mit vergleichsweise geringer Produktivität den Einstieg in das Erwerbssystem über eine Beschäftigung in der Zeitarbeitsbranche bewältigen. Summary This paper considers the effects of temporary work on labor market entry and the subsequent careers of graduates of the vocational training system in Germany (VTS). Departing from Spence’s signaling theory we conjecture that low schooling and bad grades in the final VTS exams contribute to early temping. Early temping is in turn expected to have negative long-term career consequences. To test these assumptions we use unique data on several cohorts of German VTS graduates which provides detailed information on schooling and the quality of vocational skills, including final VTS grades. The results of multivariate regression analyses (probit models) show that graduates with a lower level of education and graduates with poor grades are highly likely to have to turn to temporary employment after completing their vocational training. VTS graduates who enter the labor market via temporary employment are also found to suffer from low wages and repeated spells of unemployment. They are also disproportionately prone to forced occupational mobility.We conclude that graduates with low productivity in particular have to rely on temporary work to make the transition from vocational training to the labor market.