RESUMO
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected economies, labor markets, health care, education and tourism around the globe in unprecedented ways. However, little research has yet been devoted to the impact that the pandemic might have had on internal migration. This study aims to address this gap by determining how the intensity and spatial patterns of internal migration changed between 2019 and 2020 in Germany. We draw on data from the population register on annual flows between 401 counties. We find that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a 5% drop in the intensity of inter-county migration in 2020 compared to the previous year, with significant variation across age. The pandemic was also associated with an upsurge in net migration losses for the largest cities, driven by fewer inflows of young adults and continuing outflows of families.
RESUMO
Work-related internal migration can be associated with various labor market benefits such as improved career opportunities. However, benefits can be offset by specific burdens (relocation stress) which, in turn, can lead to adverse health outcomes. These burdens include organizing the move, difficulties in maintaining social relationships, homesickness or feelings of displacement. However, there is a particular lack of longitudinal studies which deploy advanced methods to examine how internal migration affects shifts in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over time. Also, there has been little research into whether the consequences of relocations differ by socio-economic position. In order to address these gaps, we apply fixed effects (FE) panel regression models to representative data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). We use the SF-12 Health Survey items to capture the subjective assessment of overall mental and physical well-being. Overall, we find an increase in physical HRQOL after the relocation event. Mental HRQOL tends to decrease before the event and then increases afterwards, on average, but there seems to be very little lasting change. Subgroup analyses, however, reveal differential trajectories by educational level, i.e. a clear educational health gradient around migration. While physical and mental HRQOL increases among movers with high educational attainment, individuals with lower levels of education show decreases in both health dimensions upon moving.
