ABSTRACT
Of the various types of population mobility in England and Wales, movements involving both a permanent change of residence and a permanent change of job are particularly important because of their implications for regional contrasts in population growth and economic activity. The close interdependence of occupational and spatial barriers in the free allocation of workers to jobs has been emphasized, since one cannot be considered without reference to the other. The interdependence of occupational and spatial mobility can be illustrated by considering the factors influencing potential labor migrants. Labor migration, involving a simultaneous move of home and job, has tended to be regarded as a symptom or index of other socioeconomic forces, rather than as an important factor of change in itself. The origins of many of these policy measures are often to be found in pre-war reactions to economic decline in certain industries and regions.
