The Flow of Occupational Supply and Recruitment

Abstract

The American occupational structure is analyzed in terms of the flow of manpower among 17 occupations, using data from a sample of more than 20,000 men representing the civilian labor force between ages 20 and 64. The findings suggest that increased demand for and recruitment into an occupation reduce its supply potential but that the impact of decreased demand and recruitment on supply is contingent on relative status. The intergenerational flow of manpower affects the composition of occupational groups, which, in turn, affects the intragenerational flow. The more heterogeneous in social origins the men starting in an occupation are, the greater is their tendency to leave it later for different occupations, which probably reflects the lesser solidarity of heterogeneous groups. Intergenerational as well as intragenerational mobility reveals two class boundaries-between white-collar and blue-collar groups and between the latter and farm groups-which limit downward movement to levels below chance expectation, though this is not the case for upward movement.