The article discusses the factors that influence an individual’s decision to choose between permanent migration, which involves a non-return territorial move to another locality, and return labor migration, which does not involve a change of residence but includes temporary trips to work in settlements in another constituent entity. When faced with a choice, individuals evaluate various characteristics of their current location and potential new locations for living or working. This decision-making process is influenced by both internal factors related to the territory parameters or personal circumstances and external events occurring domestically and globally. Thus, the study reveals that permanent migration is more responsive to external events, while the dynamics of return labor migration shows more stable trends. Specificity in the dynamics of these processes is important for making forecasts of migration movements in the country. The parameters of attractiveness for permanent residence and performance of labor functions do not always align with the territories of federal districts. This has led to the identification of four distinct groups of territories. The first group includes districts that are attractive for relocation and permanent residence, as well as for labor functions in the form of return labor migration. The second group of regions includes those that are favorable for permanent migration but not for return labor migration. The third group of federal districts, on the contrary, attracts return labor migrants but repels permanent ones. The fourth group includes territories that are unattractive for both permanent and return labor migration
Keywords
commuting, permanent migration, interregional labor migration, federal districts, return labor migration, migration intensity, choice