THE DEPRESSED AREA AND LABOR MOBILITY: THE EASTERN KENTUCKY CASE.

Analyzing cross sectional return migration data for a specific depressed rural area is one method of evaluating the efficiency of the migration process. The employment experience of those who did not remain in the industrial area may give information about the least successful migrants. The primary hypothesis for return migration was the ability of the migrant to obtain only marginal employment in the industrial area. The data of this study appear to support this hypothesis. Measures to improve the assimilation process into industrial society of this group of return migrants would also be expected to facilitate the migration process for the pool of future entrants into the industrial society from rural depressed areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]