WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. workers have been staying put during the recession, barred from moving by home ownership considerations or simple lack of money, demographers say.
Recent figures have put labor mobility at its lowest level since World War II, William Frey of the Brookings Institution said. His findings match those of the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported the influx of migrants from other states to Florida and Nevada has slowed down considerably.
While Frey says workers will be more willing to move when the economy gets better, an aging workforce means more people less willing or able to move. Home ownership, with 69 percent of households owning in 2005 compared to 44 percent 60 years earlier, is another factor keeping people in place.
"Economically, it means labor will be less accessible," Frey told the Los Angeles Times.
Some workers feel trapped in places where unemployment is high and opportunities few.
"I don't have the finances at this time to move," said Adam Holguin, who is out of work in the Los Angeles area.
