Abstract/Summary

The human capital and regional economic development literature has become increasingly interested in the role of the ‘creative occupations’ on economic growth. Attracting quality human capital and cultivating creative industry/class have been given an unprecedented level of significance in regional policies. As a result of this, understanding the factors determining the migration behaviour of graduates—and especially graduates in creative disciplines—is becoming increasingly important. In addressing these issues, building on previous literature that looked at migration dynamics of creative graduates in the short-term (6 months after graduation) the chapter advances our understanding of the relationship between creativity and mobility in human capital, with the first longitudinal (3 years and half after graduation) empirical analysis of the migration patterns of creative graduates in the UK. By using UK higher education student micro-data, the characteristics and location determinants of creative graduates are investigated. It is found that disciplines and their different level of mobility influence the ability of graduates to enter creative occupations and to be successful in the labour market.