Introduction to the special issue: linking demand and supply in local labor market research

Abstract

First paragraph: Traditionally applied local labor market analysis, in both academic and policy circles, has focused primarily on either demand or supply factors, with often only a relatively token recognition of the other. This is surprising considering that the two are inexorably linked. For example, a policy proposal to increase high-skilled jobs in a given region requires a response of both the supply and demand sides of the labor market and of their complex interactions. In a regional context, this lack of attention is even more surprising. Cities and regions are particularly open systems and as such, local labor market imbalances within them on either the demand or supply sides can often be met by inter-regional mobility (migration) or intraregional mobility (e.g., commuting) as well as by occupational mobility.