Are migrants returning home due to improved economic opportunity?

The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that captures issues related to migration that have been reported on various media platforms. In its fifth edition, we look at the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister’s report noting the slowdown in domestic migration and the gender pay gap in Southern India.

Mansi Bhaktwani

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister released a report 400 Million Dreams! stating that domestic migration is slowing down, with an 11.78% reduction. This month, The Indian Express reported that the improved availability of services like education, health, infrastructure and connectivity as well as improved economic opportunities in or near major sources of migration, are indicators of overall economic growth in smaller cities and could have contributed to a slowdown in domestic migration to urban centres.

According to the council’s estimates, the migration rate in 2023 stood at 28.88% versus 37.64% in 2011, according to the Census report from that year. In 2023, the migrant population stood at 40.20 crores, while the 2011’s Census recorded 45.47 crore migrants.

To calculate this new figure on migration, the council used three datasets: Indian Railway Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) data on passenger volumes, mobile telephone subscribers’ roaming data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and district-level banking data on remittances.

Collecting data on migration trends, especially among blue-collar workers, is challenging, which the paper addresses. Also, given their small sample sizes, household surveys aren’t too reliable either, making it difficult to study source-destination patterns, seasonal trends, or event-based migration trends. The paper clarifies that their findings present a general idea about the trend and should be verified through a decennial census. The originally scheduled year for the 10-year census was 2020, but because of the pandemic, the government pushed it to 2025.

According to the paper’s findings, West Bengal, Karnataka and Rajasthan saw the highest increase in migration, and Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra saw a reduction in incoming migrants.

GENDER PAY GAP: AN UNRESOLVED ISSUE

This summary is based on South First’s series on gender-based disparity in wage payment in southern states of India.

According to the Reserve Bank of India’s data, in Kerala, the wage rate for daily wage labourers is twice that of the national average. Still, women are largely underpaid and are restricted to doing manual work deemed “unskilled.” Beyond salaries, this has systemic implications too, with society undervaluing women’s work.

According to the report, women workers reported that others saw them as less productive, and that they lacked awareness of wage regulations and feared job loss. In sectors like the cashew industry, gender-based disparity restricts women to lower-paid roles, reinforcing their financial dependence and lower social status.

There’s some good news too: from 2022 to 2023, the daily wage rate for carpenters rose from ₹973.03 to ₹1,015.73, and masons saw their wages increase from ₹978.45 to ₹1,018.46. Kerala’s strong labour movements and the state’s minimum wage regulations deserve credit for the state’s high labour costs.

Still, gender gaps, as mentioned earlier, persist. Though the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 mandates equal pay, implementing it in the unorganized sector is challenging.

The issue of a high wage disparity between men and women has existed for decades, and is especially striking in North, Central and South India. The wage gap between male and female labourers in most Indian regions is ₹150–₹200. The Malnad region in Karnataka, on the other hand, saw a steady decline in wage disparity.

In the garment sector, where women comprise 80% of the workforce at the production level, there’s equal pay parity for labourers at the lower rung. But, for their superiors, there’s much more of a gender-pay gap.

To ensure true economic empowerment, Kerala must adopt a multi-pronged approach, say Labour Department officials.

This includes implementing robust policies to enforce equal pay, addressing occupational segregation, and providing skill development programmes to help women transition into higher-paying roles.

‘OUT MIGRATION CRISIS’ DISCUSSED AT UTTARAKHAND DIASPORA MEET

According to The Indian Express, on Jan 13, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the International Uttarakhandi Diaspora Conference. In his address, he urged the Uttarakhandi diaspora to invest in the state’s villages’ vast potential to tackle the persistent out-migration crisis. He specified multiple arenas for investment such as adventure tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, horticulture and more.

Dhami emphasized the policy and structural reforms that make Uttarakhand a key investment destination, as reaffirmed by NITI Aayog. He underscored the significance of skills, experience, and technical expertise in driving economic growth. He announced the formation of a diaspora cell for communication and support, while the diaspora expressed support for adopting villages to address the migration issue.

CLIMATE CHANGE MAY INCREASE MIGRATION TO CITIES: NARAYAN MURTHY

At an event in Pune, Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy stated that climate change may force mass migration to urban centres. In the next 20-25 years, the rising temperatures and shift in weather patterns may turn certain rural areas unfit for living and burden urban areas, he added.

According to the NDTV report, the migrating population would likely move to urban centres such as Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad, which are already dealing with challenges like pollution and traffic congestion.

He said that cooperation among the corporate sector, political leaders and bureaucrats is essential to avoid mass migration. Moreover, he expressed optimism about India’s progress and the country’s ability to tackle migration and climate issues.

US CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

The crackdown on illegal and irregular migration after Donald Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States of America hit news headlines last week. Amid fears of Indians in the US facing action, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs minister said that any talk about the number of such undocumented people was premature, reported The Times of India.

India is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. As of 2022, more than 700,000 Indians without legal status were living in the United States, the center estimates, making them the third largest group, behind Mexicans and Salvadorans, The New York Times reported last week. While some Indians arrive legally and overstay their visas, others cross the borders without authorization: In 2023 alone, about 90,000 Indians were arrested as they tried to enter the United States illegally, according to U.S. government data, according to the NYT report. The report also stated that India was cooperating with the US on the clampdon on illegal migration.

Compiled by Mansi Bhaktwani