Question

. If population density is rising over time, then why might it be possible to have decreasing geographic mobility but increasing occupational mobility?

Answer 1

General Introduction

It is a true fact that the population across the globe is rapidly rising. This results in more damage to the environment, however from an economic standalone point of view increases the overall productivity of the country. More labor availability can be achieved if people are given formal education which allows for higher revenue as a country and increase in the gross domestic product respectively.

There are countries such as China and India for an example which have largely gained because of rise in population and cheaply available labor which keeps cost of manufacturing low than the developed counterparts.

What is Geographic Mobility & Occupational Mobility?

To understand the specifics of this case, knowledge of both occupational mobility and geographic mobility is clearly required.

Geographical Mobility takes place when people change where they live, this could be within the country or outside and usually takes place, for better living conditions, employability or could be the result of other social obligations such as marriage

On the other hand, occupational mobility refers the ability of someone to change their job type thus being able to elevate their social and economic status respectively. Higher Occupational Ability is indicative of a healthy society in which people find it easier to find better jobs for themselves/

Case Specifics:-

With infrastructural development, government investment and the opening of the world as one market type, it is increasingly easier to have a structure in which population is rising but geographical mobility remains constant whereas occupational mobility is increasing. Such a phenomenon is common in countries such as India and China in today's time and can be explained as follows:-

With increase in population of the two countries listed, government has actively increased spending on infrastructure, education, healthcare etc. and engaged in tax reforms and liberalization efforts to allow for increased capital inflow into the countries. This has led to the rise of a working middle class which has transformed the countries further. These countries were primarily engaged in agricultural sectors and occupational mobility has enabled them to work for Multinational service or product based companies and increase their earnings, thus eliminating the need for geographic mobility.

Thus from the above example, it is clear that even when population is rising, geographic mobility may not be required especially when people can increase their standard of living by increased occupational mobility respectively.

Please feel free to ask your doubts in the comments section if any.