Migration situation in a North Hungarian peripheral settlement in 2016

Abstract

At least one third (36.9%) of the settlements in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County can be considered to be in a peripheral position although, depending on which definition we use, one can include almost all of them. The regime change had negative effects on the labor market and transformed it significantly also in the region. Our goal is to examine the labor supply’s reaction to this effect and whether people are migrating away from settlements with little work opportunities. We also want to determine the direction of the migration: do people remain within the county; do they go further and move to a different part of the country; or do they also move abroad.

Outbound migration of the youth from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County increased between 2001 and 2011 mostly when starting higher education and, subsequently, work. During this time, the rate of migration among the 25–29 age group from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County was 20%, meaning that every fifth young adult left the region. Moving away was also prominent among the 30–34 age group, as during this period their numbers shrank by 13%. These migration rates exceed that of the regime change.

We also want to address the migration activities of the Romany people and whether these differ from majority’s, by asking the following questions: “What kind of motivation do the different age groups have regarding migration?”; “In the peripheral regions, what role do the parents have in the migration of the younger generations?”; “Does the family have sheltering effect as a push factor?” During the transition, parents had negative work experiences and, therefore, encourage their children to go to work elsewhere, to “try their luck”. This concept is defined as second-generation migration. We also wish to determine the significance of the influence not only of the parents but also of other informal connections.

In our current study, we aim to discuss the following points and find the connection between them: the state of the labor market following the regime change, the role of peripheral regions, the distribution of the Romany people within the country and their activity on the labor market. This publication presents the secondary data analysis as well as the results of the representative (primary) survey conducted on a settlement of 900 people (with 134 asked), aiming to provide expansive answers to the aforementioned questions.