ABSTRACT
What insights can be gained into rural immigration on the basis of the experiences in the different countries and the case studies covered in this book? In general, recent migration flows have been very complex. Across the developed world, they have been characterised by increasing seasonal, temporary and circular migration, in rural areas benefiting especially (but not exclusively) the labour intensive and seasonal agricultural sector. Some important differences have been noticeable. For example, educational levels of rural immigrants in Northern Europe are predominantly high, mixed in Southern Europe and Canada, and predominantly low in the USA, with some immigrants being highly skilled. Despite their different backgrounds, rural immigrants tend to be in poorly paid jobs with difficult working conditions. In fact, a striking observation has been the many shared experiences across the countries which have occurred even with the different contexts and characteristics of rural immigration.
