Have migrants to depopulated areas been exploited? :An analysis from career development and labour market changes.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20064
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0104:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Oita University (2023); Gifu University (2021-2022)
• Principal Investigator: KAI Tomohiro 大分大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (50910113)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 特定地域づくり事業協同組合 / マルチワーカー / 地域おこし協力隊 / 移住 / 地域政策

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study focused on local development cooperation corps and multi-workers working in specific community development business cooperatives as migrants to depopulated areas. The study revealed that the members of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers have a strong sense of social contribution, and that their community development activities are developed in a way that local residents exploit them. In contrast, the role played in each region by the new migrant receiving organisations, the specific community development project cooperatives, differs from region to region. However, it was found that although multi-workers are expected to find employment in local enterprises under the scheme, only a limited number of cooperatives ensure sufficient skill-building opportunities, and they are often positioned as simple workers in the local labour market.

Free Research Field

地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は①「地方創生」の名のもとで役割を拡大させてきた地域おこし協力隊の地域内での位置付けを明らかにした点、②制度運用開始から間もない特定地域づくり事業協同組合制度をとりあげ、マルチワーカーの地域内での位置づけを明らかにした点にある。また、本研究の成果は「地方創生」事業が展開して約10年が経過したなかで、過疎地域における移住施策を評価する際に必要となる視点の提供に寄与するものである。