A Conceptual Model of Career Occupational Mobility in an Industrializing Society: The Case of Korea

Abstract

This paper purports to analyze the career occupational mobility patterns in Korea. In analyzing the relative mobility patterns which remain after we control for the effects of marginal distributions in the person-year occupational mobility tables, I argue that the conceptual models devised for the study of intergenerational mobility cannot be directly applied to the study of career mobility. Models for the study of career mobility patterns should reflect both labor market perspectives and life history perspectives. A model of career occupational mobility patterns based on six conceptually distinguishable factors, Persistence, Ceiling, Traditional Sector, Nonmanual Occupations, Alternative Channels, and Occupational Distance, is proposed.