Internal migration of young people: The case of Latin America

Several hypotheses (some of them standard, but others emerging) related to the migratory behavior of young people are conceptually discussed and empirically examined through the use of census microdata. The results indicate that levels and patterns of internal migration among Latin American youth are still notable for both their greater intensity than other age groups (at least for migration between Major Administrative Divisions), and a steady out-migration from the countryside (areas where few opportunities are available for young people). In contrast, young people are the only age group that is still attracted by large cities; this attractiveness is segmented because it is due to job motivations (with domestic employment remaining a important employment niche for poor girls) for one group of young people (generally those with low socioeconomic status) and educational motivations for the other group (in general, middle and high socioeconomic status). Indeed, the latter is a very important factor nowadays and it generates endogeneity in the systematic positive relationship between level of education and probability of migration.