The socioeconomic consequences of urbanization in rural areas were investigated. Data were taken from 2 sampling sociological-statistical surveys of 157 rural communities of the Novosibirsk province in West Siberia (USSR). A two-dimensional typology of centrality and social-branch structure of production was used. By using the centrality factor which was derived from 17 interconnected variables representing the community's administrative significance, its place in intrafarm settlement pattern, and level of development of key services, the communities were classified as backward hinterland, advanced hinterland, and centres. Communities were also grouped into agrarian-kolkhoz, agrarian-sovkhoz, and suburban-industrial according to: enterprise type (collective or state farm or nonfarm), the proportion of farm and of industrially employed, average family income from private economy, and the proportion of families residing in enterprise-owned houses. To describe the various employment situations in the public sector of communities with different urbanization levels, the branch structure of jobs and skill hierarchy of workers were examined. Findings included: in more urbanized rural areas job opportunities were wider and employment structure more advanced; at the same time, the dynamic character of socialist production in general and of farming in particular led, under certain circumstances, to shortages in manpower needed to produce farm products in necessary amounts. (NQ)