Regional differences in spatial flexibility: long commutes and job related migration intentions in the Netherlands

Spatial flexibility of the workforce is important in clearing regional labour markets. Workers’ spatial flexibility is limited and many European countries are developing policies to enhance the spatial flexibility of the labour force. Using the 2002 Netherlands Housing Demand Survey and logistic regression models, this paper examines the determinants of both long commutes and intentions to migrate for a job. The results show that living in the highly urbanized western part of the Netherlands increases the probability that workers opt for long commutes. Living in the more peripheral regions increases the probability that workers think about moving residence. The results further show that workers with long commutes are more likely to have the intention to move residence in the near future than workers with short commutes. This indicates that long commutes are suboptimal at the individual level.