Occupational Change and Upward Mobility of Low-Income Residents in Bangkok

Abstract

This paper analyzes the occupational changes and upward mobility of urban low-income residents in Bangkok, using macro and micro data including field survey. In traditional theory, the image of upward mobility tends to be linear; that is, it assumes movement from the Informal Economy to the Formal Economy, from informal to modern sectors. However, analysis shows that the actual pattern of occupational paths and people’s perceptions of upward mobility is different from the assumptions found in traditional theory. First, the occupational opportunity of lower-class changes within amacro context and people choose their occupations by interacting with these changes. Therefore, their occupational paths are not linear. Second, for most workers, the final goal is not participation in the Formal Economy but the Informal Economy.