New Methods for Studying the Mobility of the Most Disadvantaged Job Seekers

Abstract

This present study is based on the most disadvantaged small regions of Central Transdanubia in Hungary, burdened with decrease of employment, and in certain towns and villages, by very high unemployment rate characteristic of the most disadvantaged micro-regions. The disadvantage of these areas is significant, which is confirmed by the fact that the small region ranked just above the examined ones has around eight per cent lower rate than the average of the presented area. In addition, unemployment rates of these regions are nearly twice as high as the county average. It is important to elaborate on these regions since in many ways they belong to the more developed areas of Hungary, so this unfavourable employment rate is caused by specific reasons which haven’t been (or were not thoroughly enough) explored.
It is not negligible that – in most cases – the less developed factor of economy hinders the overall economic dynamism of a given region, thus barriers of growth affecting the whole county may be revealed by means of their analysis. The studied villages and cities are situated in a lowland region without urban areas, the employment structure of which is clearly and dominantly influenced by several nearby cities. As a result, one could hardly find a more suitable area to explore the problems of mobility in general. Beside this the present study has a methodological significance, namely, special attention was paid to the development of a generalized method on a mathematical basis, which is suitable to investigate mobility.
The problems of the areas struggling with unemployment – if they cannot rely on internal resources – can be solved permanently by the development of transport networks and by means of that the integration to the more dynamic regions. This research has highlighted that although the role of rail transport – due to its unreliability and costliness – is insignificant in daily commuting, the lack of alternatives is a serious barrier in the convergence of disadvantaged regions. In addition to highways, secondary main roads could notably enhance urban mobility, which can only reach the sufficient rate only if these modes of transport are available in sufficient quality. The mobility support schemes, cost reductions can be the appropriate solutions because they do not increase significantly the relative differences of towns and villages, and at the same time notably contribute to the solution of mobility problems of the worst-ranked cities, villages and the entire region. Major improvement has been accomplished by the financial support of those towns and villages where the accessibility has been solved.
This confirms that significant increase of mobility can be achieved only in a complex, cross-cutting way. The KMI-values (KMI = Corrected Mobility Index) and their development in relation to MFA-index (Mobility rate of a given village or town, based on calculations that include type of transport and commuting direction) revealed that the individual's attitude and position can greatly improve or reduce the mobility rate of a town or village. Since the most disadvantaged groups of unemployed people are characterized by traditionally low degree of mobility, it is not surprising that the significant fall of MFA was revealed in each case. In the case of willingness for mobility it is remarkable that the majority of individuals would be ready for commuting to those towns and cities that provide the main employers, even if the regional differences in this respect are similar to the regional aspects of labour market. As far as the willingness for workplace  accommodation is concerned, which is the other important aspect of this topic, low inclination was observed, which based on complex cause and effect relationships significantly impairs employment or labour market (re)integration opportunities. The solution of these problems will require the implementation of complex projects and programs.