Job search and the effect of urban structure on unemployment and married female participation rates

Abstract

A model of urban job search is presented concentrating on the skill level of the seeker. The implications for the effect of urban structure on intra-urban unemployment and married female participation rate differentials are examined. It is found using census data for Greater London, that urban structure—represented by the intra-urban distribution of jobs per worker as derived from the job search model—has the predicted effects on unemployment and participation rates after allowing for other determinants of these rates. The paper concludes with some implications for urban manpower policy