Occupational transition from salaried to self-employment is an important issue in developed economies, but is even more critical in emerging economies, as individuals' occupational choices can drive economic development. Using data on 3637 individuals from India, we examine the effect of regional factors on actual and intended transition. We find that self-employment and unemployment rates decrease actual and intended transition, and the effects are at least four times greater than that of individual-level factors. In addition, we find that urban versus rural location moderates the effects of income ratios and state GDP, with the effects being greater in rural locations.

JEL Classification : J24, J62, L26, O12, O18, O53