QUANTILE REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN CAPITAL AND MIGRATION IN VIETNAM’S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Abstract

The study employs the quantile regression method to analyze the relationship between human capital and socio-economic factors with migration in the Central Highlands region during the period 2010-2024. The dataset includes the number of out-migrants, the proportion of trained workers, investment capital, public health expenditure, and urbanization rates across five provinces. The results indicate that human capital is positively correlated with migration across all quantiles, though the magnitude decreases at higher quantiles. This suggests that high-skilled labor tends to migrate more in provinces with lower levels of out-migration. Investment capital and public health expenditure show a significant negative relationship, particularly at lower quantiles, implying that infrastructure investment and social welfare spending contribute to population stability. Urbanization is positively correlated at higher quantiles, suggesting that the urbanization process promotes population movement in areas with high migration levels. The findings suggest that development policies should be flexibly tailored to the migration intensity of each province within the Central Highlands region.