The Two Sides of the Same Coin

Key messages:

• Europeans are increasingly mobile in terms of commuting and travelling, whereas rates of permanent change in residence across borders are scarce. Relocation rates within countries are stable or are even going down.

• Experiences of mobility are very heterogeneous and circumstances that lead people to be mobile change over the life course.

• Policies should support the development of “skills for mobility”, particularly at younger ages, but older people should also not be ignored.

• Policies should promote mobility that adjusts to personal situations and pre- vents negative consequences at the individual and social level.

References: 

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• Schneider, N. and B. Collet (eds.) (2010): Mobile Living Across Europe II. Causes and Consequences of Job-Related Spatial Mobility in Cross- National Comparison. Opladen: Barbara Budrich Publishers.
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