Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Regional Labour Mobility of German University Graduates

Regional Studies. This paper traces university graduates' mobility when entering the labour market after graduation. The empirical analysis utilizes a large-scale, survey-based dataset of individuals who graduated from thirty-six German universities in 2007. It applies a two-stage analysis examining both employability and the likelihood that a graduate will leave the university region after finding a job. Controlling for differences in employability, it is found that characteristics of the university region as well as graduates' contacts with local employers are key determinants of regional mobility when entering the labour market.