Regional differences in migratory behaviour in Finland

The paper aims to analyse regional differences in migration behaviour and labour market adjustment in Finland. The analysis focuses on individuals belonging to the labour force both in 1985 and 1990. The data is a one percent sample from the Finnish longitudinal census file. Three outcomes can be deduced from the results. First, the chosen regions differ from each other quite little by migratory behaviour. Second, regional migratory behaviour has an equilibrating role in regional labour markets, which is not very strong. Third, the effect of personal unemployment on migratory behaviour is weaker in northern Finland and so the future prospects of high-unemployment areas are further worsening.