ABSTRACT
Changing rural demographics and in particular a growing elderly population, and declining birth rates reinforced by the out-migration of youth in rural areas across many OECD countries have given rise to particular challenges and concerns about the consequences of these trends for the economy, welfare policies, and the sustainability of rural communities. A wide spectrum of proposals and initiatives have emerged to address these challenges, some of which have included stemming the flow of young people, making better use of the skills of older people, and encouraging immigrants or migrant workers to fill labor market shortages and skill gaps. This chapter will: (i) provide a general overview of the context in which rural immigration has become the focus of academic and policy attention in the context of the OECD countries; (ii) compare trends, experiences and initiatives drawing on research in the rural North American context and the UK (EU) context focusing in particular on intra-EU migration to rural areas since 2004 considering the recent changes on international migration policy; (iii) highlight key themes across the two cases; (iv) identify similarities and differences across the two cases and the policy implications that emerge.
