Crossing the Border for Higher Status? Occupational Mobility of East–West Commuters in the Central European Region

Abstract

This article discusses cross-border occupational mobility of workers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia who found employment in Austria. We illustrate this topic using data from a longitudinal survey on the employment careers of 1,347 cross-border commuters working in Austria conducted in the winter/spring of 2012/13. Empirically, we demonstrate that despite efforts to diminish structural inequalities between the regions, differences in unemployment and poverty rates continue to play a role. We further find that the majority of cross-border commuters have a different socioeconomic structure than locally residing Austrians overall commuters mostly show mid-level qualifications and work in branches with a high demand for labor (e.g., construction, gastronomy, health industry). Against this background, we pursue the following research question: to what extent are the patterns of occupational mobility of cross-border commuters in Austria influenced by sociodemographic factors, human capital, social capital, and labor market characteristics?