Migration patterns among employees in selected producer services

The study expands our knowledge and understanding of the spatial concentrations and patterns of migration among employees in the producer services, particularly those in the financial and business services, within the context of several research areas. First, it investigates the differences between producer service employees and employees in the general labor force, as well as the distinctive characteristics of individual producer service sectors. Second, the study examines the role of metropolitan areas in the concentrations and redistributions of producer service employees. Third, it identifies the patterns of distribution and redistribution over time and the mechanisms---migration linkages---that enable the continuation of these patterns.;The study uses a major microdata source that facilitates the examination of locational concentrations and migration patterns for employees in the financial and business services, and compares the results with a sample of the employees in the general labor force. It employs the metropolitan area as the geographic unit of analysis, using data from two consecutive census periods, 1975--80 and 1985--90.;The analysis illustrates the differences between employees in the producer services and in the general labor force in terms of concentration and migration, as well as the differences among individual producer service sectors. The results demonstrate the advantages of focusing on producer service employees as a distinctive group and examining individual producer service sectors.;The research also shows the continuing disproportionate influence of large metropolitan areas in the distribution of producer services activity. The results illustrate the importance of focusing on the most populous metropolitan areas---both as individual entities and as networks---in geographic analysis and research.