Abstract

Since the 1970s the qualification-related structural change has been accompanied by increasing occupational demands. Despite very heterogeneous effects across the regions within Germany the spatial dimension of this process has hardly been subject to scientific analyses yet. Based on different theoretical models from economic geography and labour economics the determinants of regional employment growth will be derived and identified by empirical analysis. The analysis focuses on the role that differences among qualification levels play in regional employment growth. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the region-specific factors aims at providing policy implications in order to raise job opportunities for low and medium qualified workers at the regional level.