Over recent years Southern European countries have experienced a massive arrival of migrants, becoming net migrant receivers and permanent destinations of migratory flows. For Greece immigration is a substantial new phenomenon, with flows originating primarily from Central and Eastern European countries. It is estimated that the migrant population has grown to approximately 10 per cent of the national and nearly 15 per cent of the economically active population. The extensive and uncontrolled entry of migrants into the country has increased especially rapidly the settlement and employment of this labour force in rural areas. This paper aims at examining the various aspects of the multifunctional roles migrants play in the rural economy and society of Greece, and the reactions of rural Greek people towards them. It draws on field research involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings are presented around three axes: first, the implications of migrant employment for the operation of the farm and the farm household; second, the wider implications migrant employment has for local labour markets and the maintenance of the economic and social cohesion of rural societies; and third, the attitudes of local populations towards the migrants.

In early 1990s Greece became one of the prime destination countries for the migrant peoples of the collapsing regimes of the Balkan and Eastern European countries, experiencing, thus, a historical reversal of the massive exodus, in the 1950s and 1960s, of Greeks to the labour markets of Germany, Australia and the USA. This historical reversal seems to identify a pattern that is common to the Southern European countries. Over the last ten years, immigrant population has grown to attain approximately one tenth of the population of Greece. This development occurs at a time when pressures are being exerted on agricultural incomes following the reform of the CAP and subsequent evidencing of the first consequences of market liberalization in the context of a globalizing international economy. This paper aims at analyzing and interpreting the main findings of an empirical research programme on the economic and social implications of migrant settlement and employment in rural Greece. The research was carried out in three paradigmatic regions of the country: a) in a mountainous, less favoured region, b) in a region with dynamic agriculture, and c) in an insular region of agricultural and tourist development. The paper draws from a qualitative study of administrators and opinion leaders. It is divided into four parts: the first part presents the main elements of migration in rural Southern Europe in the frame of what is known as the South European model of migration. The second part discusses migration towards Greece and reviews research work relating to rural migration. With reference to methodology and the main research hypotheses, the third part presents the analysis of empirical findings concentrating on the importance of migrant labour for the operation of the farm and rural restructuring followed by a discussion of the position and role of migrants in rural society and development. The final part summarizes the main conclusions of this analysis.

Non-agricultural employment is expanding in many rural areas in Greece, while the agricultural sector is the main employer in a great deal of rural areas. Local labour markets are diverse although dependence on family farming, small-scale businesses, informal employment and tourist activities is constantly increasing. These developments have gradually reinforced the multifunctionality of rural areas and have brought about a demand for flexible labour power. Under these circumstances, the role of migrants has been fundamental for sustaining the multifunctional character of rural Greece, as they participate in every economic sector and their presence varies across sectors and geographical regions. Migrants should not only be conceived strictly as an agricultural labour force on the grounds that they seem to be highly mobile in rural areas. They should rather be considered more widely, as a rural labour force with multiple implications on Greek rural society and economy. The article is based on an empirical study carried out in three different localities in the Epirus region in northern Greece. On the basis of quantitative data, it analyses and interprets the multilateral, versatile impact of migrants on different rural localities. One major finding is that the contribution of migrants is crucial for the preservation of the multifunctional character of rural areas in Greece. However, migrant labour loses its collective identity by becoming increasingly individualised in its capacities, its employment conditions and its interests.s oru_515 258..276 Migrants in the rural areas of EuropeO ver the great part of the twentieth century the pattern of change in the regional population in most European countries has been characterised by a rural exodus and increasing urbanisation. Rural populations have declined as the younger generation have left home to seek better job opportunities in urban areas. However, over the past 30 years counter-urbanisation has become a common trend in the developed

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