Digitalización del trabajo y movilidades en Europa: Migraciones de retorno y nomadismo digital (REMOTEWORK)

Code: PID2023-148842NB-I00
Funding entity: Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Duration: 01/09/2024 – 31/08/2027
Amount: 75.000 €
Coordinators: Fernández Suárez, B. (IP1) (UDC) / Mancinelli, F. (IP2)
ESOMI participants: Tina Magazzini (UDC), Sandra López Pereiro (UDC), Laura Cobelo (UDC)

The research project focuses on analysing the impact of remote work on the mobility of qualified professionals to Spain. The study compares two empirical cases: the return of Spanish migrants retaining their employment abroad through remote work and the arrival of digital nomads. The research aims to understand the social, cultural, and political implications at both local and national levels of these new forms of labour mobility. The project originates from the observation of a growing trend in industrialized countries, including Spain, to attract skilled workers through the implementation of specific migration laws and policies. Examples include the Spanish Startup Law (Ley 28/2022), which aims to promote the creation and investment in technology-based startups, and initiatives like the digital nomads visa or the Return to Spain Plan. This trend aligns with the increasing normalization of remote work in the European Union, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This circumstance led to regulatory efforts, which led to the Spanish Remote Work Law (Ley 10/2021), which emphasizes the essential role of remote work in encouraging population relocation to rural areas. The digitalization of work and increasing labour flexibility may cause disruptions in labour mobility and occur in parallel with a crisis in wage employment. Spain has long been a favored destination for tourism and mobility due to its quality of life, justifying its pioneering initiatives in promoting the mobilities of highlyskilled professionals.

In light of these circumstances, the project raises questions about the forms of reterritorialization (understood as new ways of understanding the relationship with community, locality, and the state) brought about by the potential mobility offered by remote work in Spain. The study aims to explore the new emerging landscapes, specifically in terms of spatial use, the imaginaries of “a good life,” the existence of an industry of intermediaries fostering these privileged migrations, and the consequences of these new mobilities on collective community projects, solidarity, and the social state, including utilitarian strategies such as fiscal solvency or political involvement. Remote work is considered a lasting labor practice signalling a future shift in the labor paradigm with significant impacts on human mobility flows. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to delve into its implications for the identity and personal and professional projects of those involved, observing gender differences and inclusion possibilities on the ground, and pay attention to the sociocultural repercussions of these new professional opportunities on the host territories.