Flexible mobility for unstable workers: South-North temporary migration in Italy

The multiple types of temporary and circular migration carried out for work can be interpreted as forms of intermediate mobility located between commuting and permanent migration. These forms of mobility are a flexible adaptation to the new opportunities and constraints brought about by the present-day social and economic organization. The study of temporary migrations represents an arduous yet unavoidable challenge precisely for its contemporary relevance and close connection with ongoing changes in society. Studies on temporary mobility for work are not very common, and also the international literature on the subject does not share definitions and measures, but is concordant in identifying the protagonists as being mostly young men, with a high level of education, and in the early stages of their work life. The aim of the article is two-fold: to provide methodological insights for further studies on temporary migration, contributing to the debate surrounding the conceptualization of this phenomenon and an improvement in quantitative sources; to offer a descriptive and multivariate analysis of southern residents temporarily migrating to the centre-north regions through the Italian Labour Force Survey (ILFS) data.