Professional outcomes of internal migration by couples:: Evidence from France

This article examines the impact of internal migration on the labour-market participation and earnings of couples in France. The analysis is based on longitudinal data from the French version of the European Community Household Panel. Controlling for self-selection of migrants, the results show that household income falls after migration, as does women's likelihood of being employed. Controlling for labour-market participation, migration has a positive impact on women's income, but not on men's. In France, mobility is quite scarce, especially for couples. One explanation is that migration is generally not profitable in terms of professional outcomes. The rigidity of the French labour market, associated with high unemployment, may explain both the difficulty and the limited benefits of moving as a couple, especially for the women who are often the 'tied movers'. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.