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Contribution short abstract:

COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the livelihoods of rural migrants due to lockdowns. Data from 678 surveys in southern Italy showed increased vulnerability during the pandemic and changing migration patterns. Over half of the returnees remigrated, while those with remote jobs tend to stay permanently.

Contribution long abstract:

This COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant casualties, economic downturns, job losses, obligatory lockdowns, global travel bans, and massive movements to smaller areas in different parts of the world. Among these difficulties, rural migrants were particularly heavily struck, as their capacity to earn a living was halted during the lockdowns. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate COVID-19's implications for the development of rural areas by assessing whether the rural migrants who returned to their small areas due to the pandemic, supported by the increased use of smart working, is a long-term phenomenon that will not reverse. Moreover, this paper intends to evaluate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on small municipalities focusing on its migrants by examining their vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this vulnerability may affect their migration status. The primary data was collected through a questionnaire that received 678 responses in the municipality of Lioni in southern Italy. The study revealed that the vulnerability of the entire population, especially the migrants, was notably elevated during the pandemic, and the level of vulnerability affects the likelihood of being a migrant or a returned migrant during shocks such as the COVID-19 shock. Also, more than half of those who returned during the pandemic remigrated after it. However, if individuals secure jobs or can work remotely, they may choose to return permanently.