Kliment NAYDENOV, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Nadezdha ZHECHKOVA, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
The pandemic demonstrates in a short time the vital role of migrants in European economies and societies. Citizens in closed countries see daily coverage of the critical role of migrants in congested health care, as well as in any other economic field, from agricultural work to restaurants and hotels. On the other hand, the closure of states changes individual migration strategies and attitudes, leading to economic and social changes in changing and sending societies.
The huge change in mechanical growth is the result of two processes. The first is the return of Bulgarians from abroad at the beginning of the pandemic and the positive migration in the country. Although to varying degrees, this return is observed throughout the country. The second process is internal migration, which in the year of the pandemic is from the big city to the small town. This is both a real change and a formalization of a hitherto unreported reality. However, both processes seemed unthinkable before the pandemic. And while the periphery wins at the expense of the big city, the key is again that strong economic centres should be seen in a broad sense - a core and a broad periphery and have the potential for change.
For societies that have traditionally been sending labour migrants to Western Europe in recent decades (Bulgaria), the social, political and economic changes surrounding the Covid 19 pandemic have led not only to changes in migration strategies and attitudes, but also to a revision of migration experience. This has led to reverse migration for some migrants, which has affected both host and sending societies. On the other hand, the pandemic has affected the internal migration processes by stimulating migration from the city to the village of young and active people, which changes the social profile and economic development of small towns in the country.
Mots clés :
A104905KN