Economic and Social Determinants of Migration: Insights from Kerala’s Experience
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Abstract
Kerala is one of the small States of India in terms of area; the state is located in the south west corner of India. The connection between Kerala and Arabian Peninsula dates back to Centuries, which is facilitated through wide range of merchants and travellers. The constant flow of workers from the State of Kerala to Gulf Countries and other foreign nations resulted in scarcity of labour in the state, which was followed inevitably by increase in the wage rate. The wage rate in Kerala is over 147 percent higher than the national wage rate. (Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, GoI) The shortage of labour in Kerala and the resultant higher wage rates attracted the attention of workers from other states and they began to move to Kerala in search of work. This paper examined the major pull and push factors of interstate migration and the sources of migration networks. The study is largely based on the empirical findings obtained as a result of the primary interviews conducted on migrant workers in Malappuram district. The combined interaction of a number of factors is responsible for internal migration in the state like better working conditions in the state, government policy towards migrants, and existence of wage gap between Kerala and other states of India.
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