Rural Labour Migration in India: Magnitude and Characteristics

Abstract

Labour migration is an important feature in the development process in India. Macro level surveys shows that there has been an increase in magnitude of labour migration over the years. It is more prevalent among the males for employment related reasons and occurs prominently from certain backward regions of the country. The two macro data sources on migration which are the Census and the NSSO show that rural to rural migration is the most dominant stream. Though migration is found to be positively related with monthly per capita expenditure, the case of short term migration differs sharply in its characteristics features. From a policy perspective, it is therefore important to correctly examine the magnitude and underlying dynamics of short term migration which is most often a distress driven phenomenon.