Articles

Articles

A Discrete Choice Experiment of Young Adults’ Preferences for Working in Non-Metropolitan Regions Relative to the Seoul Metropolitan Area - Evidence from Pohang City -
  • Author
    Ohik Kwon (Korea Univetsity), Seonghoon Kim (Singapore Management University), Byongju Lee (Bank of Korea), Seunghak Lee (Seoul National University) and Syngjoo Choi (Seoul National University)
  • Year
    2026
  • Volume
    Vol.74
  • Number
    No.2
  • This study uses a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to analyze job and residential location preferences among 3,010 young Koreans aged 19 to 39. Young adults nationwide require approximately 17% wage premium to accept employment in Pohang over the Seoul metropolitan area, while those from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region require no statistically significant premium. Strong aversion to manufacturing relative to IT/AI industries is consistently observed across all subgroups. Medical accessibility, public transport, organizational culture, and housing support are key determinants. Regional experience reduces the required premium by 11 percentage points, suggesting that information frictions and lack of experience could be important mechanisms.
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