Die Binnenwanderung von Arbeitskräften in Deutschland: Eine deskriptive Analyse für ländliche Räume auf Basis der Integrierten Erwerbsbiografien (IEB) des IAB

This working paper stems from the joint research project “The spatial mobility of workers throughout individual working lives - Analyses for rural areas in Germany" by the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The project receives funding from the Federal Rural Development Scheme (BULE). Our analyses are based on data from the IAB’s integrated employment biographies (IEB), which provide information on places of residence and individual characteristics of more than 90 percent of Germany’s labor force. Our analyses show, that migration balances of rural regions are not per se negative, but are characterized by a marked heterogeneity and results of the migration balance between rural and non-rural areas fluctuate during the period of observation. Regional migration balances also differ by the observed groups of individuals. Migration flows of employees with mandatory social security show significant patterns of suburbanisation that result in a net flow into rural regions between 2014 and 2017. Rural areas surrounding large cities particularly benefit from these patterns. Net losses in rural areas are observed for the younger part of the labor force and the unemployed. Migration balances of some very rural areas with less favorable socio-economic conditions hint to disadvantegeous demographic developments. This is particularly true for regions of this type in eastern Germany. Considering the entire labor force, we observe negative migration balances for two thirds of very rural western German regions as well. Most rural areas in the vicinity of larger agglomerations record positiv balances. The observed migration flows affect the spatial structure within regions of different types in distinct ways. Regions with below average employment growth exhibit increasing spatial concentration of workers’ places of residence through their intraregional migration flows. On the other hand, rural areas near large agglomerations exhibit increasing dispersion of workers’ places of residence through intra-regional mobility.