What is Mobility of Labor?

What is Mobility of Labor?

Movement of Laborers or workers, from place to place, profession to profession, and from one grade to another grade, is known as mobility of labor.

Movement of laborers or workers from one place to another by the prospects of better wages is called geographical or place mobility.

The movement between trade and trade of an almost equally paying nature is called horizontal or professional mobility.

Capacity for horizontal mobility can be very much developed at the early stages of the training of labor. This kind of mobility helps laborers a great deal when they are thrown out of work from any particular industry. They can exercise option, and can join any profession from among several ones that they have learnt.

There is another kind of mobility is called vertical mobility. When a man of talents and qualifications gets into the higher grade, and gets work according to his superior capacity and talents, his output of work is greater than formerly, and the society as a whole stands to gain thereby.

Importance of the Mobility of Labor: Mobility is one of those factors that go to promote the efficiency of labor in a country. Labor should have the capacity of readily adjusting or shifting itself in accordance with the requirements of each case. Labor gains in personal prospects by mobility.

In a country like India, where economic transition is going on, there is great friction, and the forces of competition are not fully at work, mobility of labor brings about equalization of wages as between place and place, and class and class.

Besides the gain in adaptability that the moving laborer acquires, there is gain in utility under conditions of full competition.