(a) Mobility of labour refers to the ease with which labour can move from one job to another which is called occupational mobility of labour; and the ease with which labour moves from one area to another which is called geographical mobility of labour.
(b) Obstacles to occupational mobility of labour include:
(i) Cost: the cost of retraining may be a problem in terms of money and length of time
(ii) Ability or aptitude: certain jobs require natural ability, e.g. football.
(iii) Employment prospects/ age: After a certain age (e.g. 45), employers will not engage such people. They have poor prospects for an employer as they only have short working life.
(iv) Trade union / professional association restrictions: professional bodies (accounting, law) require certain qualifications before-admission.
(v) Personal reasons: personal preference for a particular job and dislike for available alternatives may dis-courage movements.
(vi) Family and friendly ties.
(vii) Political instability / Religion.