All circular but different: Variation in patterns of Ukraine‐to‐Poland migration

Abstract

In many of the “newest” immigration countries of Central and Eastern Europe, temporary migration prevails and rates of migrants' settlement are low. This article examines variations in temporary migration patterns and what distinguishes migrants who choose “more permanent” time–space strategies in such temporary migration regimes. Taking Ukrainian migration to Poland as a case study, and applying cluster analysis to survey data from 2010, we propose an empirical typology of migrants based on parameters of their overall mobility history. The majority consists of circular migrants who can be described as either regular or intermittent circulants. Those who represent more permanent mobility patterns can be termed circular transmigrants and long‐term migrants. The latter are more likely than circulants to work outside agriculture, construction, and domestic services—seen as migrant sectors in Poland—and are less involved in family duties in Ukraine. Further, women are more likely than men to be involved in temporary migration for sustained time. The article contributes to the migration literature by proposing a typology of temporary migrants based on detailed parameters of their mobility and by examining how selected characteristics of migrants correlate with their mobility patterns in a temporary migration regime such as posed by Poland.

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