Internal Labor Markets: An Empirical Investigation

The report describes the empirical investigation of three organizations internal labor market structures within the framework of the Markov model. The studies reported provide evidence concerning methods of internal labor market analysis as well as evidence concerning the validity and utility of conceptual descriptions of internal labor markets. The three organizations differed in a number of respects which might be expected to influence internal market characteristics technology, labor force qualifications, stability of employment, and degree of unionization. Entry ports, mobility clusters, mobility channels and rates of mobility are identified, measured and compared among the three internal markets. The range of characteristics observed among the organizations and over time within a single organization raises doubts concerning the utility of a single conceptual model of the internal labor market. A model relating internal personnel systems to the external product and labor markets probably would have greater analytical utility.