The Influence of Individual, Organizational and Structural Factors on Downward Career Mobility in Germany

Abstract

This article investigates occupational mobility as an intra-generational process with particular emphasis on downward mobility of the occupational career. The focus is on the question why certain people experience a negative development of their occupational career more than others. Therein, conditions on a micro, meso, and macro level and their influence on general mobility patterns are analysed. The findings reveal that, in spite of the turbulences caused by the German Reunification, the occupational downward mobility rate has remained constantly low during the last two decades. Findings also show that factors on all levels (micro, meso, and macro level) influenced occupational mobility, the meso level being less relevant, however. The question for the winners and losers of the economic transformation process can not be answered unambiguously. There are numerous losers: People who lack vocational education and training, people with little employment experience, people who want to re-enter into employment, and those who lived in East Germany in 1989. (IAB)

Cite article

Drasch, K. (2009): The influence of individual, organizational and structural factors on downward career mobility in Germany. In: J. Bacher, J. Gorniak & M. Niezgoda (Hrsg.) (2009): Selected research papers in education, labour market and criminology : vol. 1, p. 59-82.