Remigracije in dozorevanje krize socializma v Sloveniji na prehodu iz sedemdesetih v osemdeseta leta: primer vračanja pomurskih delavcev
Remigration and the Maturing Crisis of Socialism in Slovenia From the 1970s to the 1980s: The Case of Returning Workers From Pomurje

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses a concerted effort to repatriate workers from Slovenia’s Pomurje region who had worked in Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as part of an OECD initiative to support their return. Pomurje, an underdeveloped region with limited employment opportunities, faced challenges from surplus labour, unemployment, and underemployment. The project aligned with the Slovenian authorities’ strategy to link returns to new jobs and encourage emigrants to invest part of their savings into productive activities, whether private or socially owned. Ultimately, the project failed to create new employment, and emigrants returned only in small numbers. They mainly came back for personal reasons—homesickness, fulfilled material goals, and family ties—and showed little interest in entrepreneurship. The case highlights the structural limitations of late socialism in managing migration, unemployment, and regional development.

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