Capital (obtained from investment in schooling and/or learning on the job); ii) Specific
Human Capital (learning on the firm or get through specific formation).
Another models used in the study of job mobility are the so-called Shirking Models,
which arise from the incapacity of firms in doing a close monitoring of their workers,
what leads to the decrease of productivity and to its associated costs (including firing
costs). These models are based in the theory of deferred payment, leading to the
decrease of worker’s incentive to shirking and promoting a long term relationship
between firm and worker.
At last, the Search & Matching Models. In these models, the positive relation between
tenure and wages is justified by a longer duration of good matching firm/worker leading
to highest wages due to their experience and tenure (similar to the human capital
models). The search models predict that workers set a reservation wage - which
maximizes their expected lifetime earnings - that tells them when to stop the search
(optimal search).
Empirical analyses of the determinants of job mobility, usually using Mincer wage
regressions, have shown the relevance of factors such as schooling, experience, tenure
or industry specific human capital. Relevant studies may be found in Psacharipoulos
(1985), Hubler (1984) e Schmidt e Zimmermann (1991), Willis e Rosen (1979), Borjas
e Rosen (1980), Bartel e Borjas (1981), Borjas (1981), Abraham e Farber (1987),
Altonji e Shakotko (1987), Addison e Portugal (1989), Kletzer (1989).
On the other side spatial mobility has been a relevant topic on regional economics. Both
theoretical and empirical analysis has been developed. On neoclassical type models
spatial mobility arises from regional differences in wages that motivate workers to
move. Much attention has been given to determinants of spatial mobility on empirical
studies. Studies such as Borjas (2000), Bartel (1979), Widerstedt (1998), Andrienko and
Guriev (2001), Goetz (1999) or Peixoto (1998), have identified a set of reasons that
make spatial mobility more likely to occur. Among those factors are age, schooling,
distance and demographic characteristics such has marital status or number of children.
On average, the worker that experience spatial mobility is young (below 35 years),
above average years of schooling and single.
Summarizing, the literature described above has presented the characteristics of workers
that experience both job and spatial mobility and the potential effects on wages.