Jobs or amenities? Destination choices of migrant engineers in the USA

The paper analyses factors influencing the destinations chosen by 13 different categories of migrant engineers in the USA between 1994 to 1999. Migration patterns are analysed with the aid of fractional‐response regression models. The objective is to assess the relative weight of employment opportun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Papers in regional science 2010-03, Vol.89 (1), p.43-63
Main Author: Scott, Allen J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amenities
America
Bgi / Prodig
Employment
Engineers
Human capital
Human geography
J20
J61
Job vacancies
Migration
Public services
R11
U.S.A
United States of America
Urban growth
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Summary:The paper analyses factors influencing the destinations chosen by 13 different categories of migrant engineers in the USA between 1994 to 1999. Migration patterns are analysed with the aid of fractional‐response regression models. The objective is to assess the relative weight of employment opportunities and selected amenities in guiding the migratory shifts of these workers. Engineers are divided into two categories representing individuals of working age and those who are either retired or are close to retirement. The results indicate that local employment opportunities have a dominant impact on the destinations chosen by the former group and that amenities play virtually no role in this regard. However, warmer winters have some modest positive effect on destinations chosen by the latter group. Resumen El artículo analiza los factores que influyen en el destino elegido por 13 categorías diferentes de ingenieros emigrantes en los EE.UU. entre 1994 y 1999. Se analizan los patrones migratorios con la ayuda de modelos de regresión de respuesta fraccional. El objetivo es evaluar el peso relativo de las oportunidades de empleo y ciertos servicios en influir en los desplazamientos migratorios de estos trabajadores. Los ingenieros se dividen en dos categorías que representan a individuos en edad laboral y a aquellos que o están retirados o cerca de hacerlo. Los resultados indican que las oportunidades de empleo local tienen un impacto dominante en los destinos elegidos por el primer grupo y que los servicios apenas influyen en este aspecto. Sin embargo, los inviernos cálidos tienen un efecto positivo modesto en los destinos elegidos por el último grupo.
ISSN:1056-8190
1435-5957
DOI:10.1111/j.1435-5957.2009.00263.x