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Rural areas in the UK have undergone structural changes brought on by the decline of the agricultural sector in combination with a pattern of 'counter-urbanisation' characterised by employment and population growth in rural areas. Within generally prosperous areas, a minority are excluded from a satisfactory standard of living. This article examines the barriers for some individuals associated with participation in residual local labour markets in rural areas and proposes an approach for qualitative analysis of individuals in this type of labour market. Empirical evidence is presented from a study involving in-depth interviews in two rural case study areas to demonstrate the range of factors affecting the ability to participate. The author assesses the barriers influencing labour market participation identified in the interviews. These include the mismatch between skills and opportunities, recruitment practices, accessibility, the costs of labour market participation and housing. The rural nature of the locations can influence these factors. This approach provides a framework for a qualitative analysis of labour markets from an individual perspective that doesn't presume a common experience of a labour market determined by the general characteristics of labour market conditions.