Commuters and communities: How employment mobility affects community development in source communities

In the past decade, scholars (Hannam, et al., 2006; Sheller and Urry, 2006) have identified a ‘mobilities shift’ observing increased levels, new forms, and different patterns of mobility among people, ideas, and knowledge. One type of mobility is Employment-Related Geographical Mobility (E-RGM) which is defined as people who commute for work away from their place of residence that involves more than 2 hours daily to more extended absences and journeys lasting weeks, months or even years. The purpose of this paper, which is part of the On the Move Partnership: Employment-Related Geographical Mobility in the Canadian Context 7-year SSHRC funded project, is to examine the impacts of E-RGM on community development in source communities. Specific impacts include a mobile workers’ investment of time, financial investments, and emotional attachments to place within his or her source community.