Labour migration

• According to Economic survey 2016-17, Inter-state migration of workers in India has increased substantially to 90 lakh annually between 2011-16 compared to the previous years.

Main highlights

• Inter-state labour mobility average was between 50–65 lakh people in the 2001-2011 period, yielding an inter-state migrant population of about 6 crore and an inter-district migration as high as 8 crore.
• These estimates are significantly greater than the annual average number of about 3.3 million (33 lakh) suggested by successive censuses and higher than previously estimated by any study
• The acceleration of migration was particularly high for women and increased at nearly twice the rate of male migration in the 2000s, according to the Survey.
• The patterns of migration observed conform to priors – less affluent states and districts evince higher out-migration and rich metropolises attract large inward flows of labour.
• The largest recipient of migrant workers was the Delhi region, which accounted for more than half of migration in 2015-16, while Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together accounted for half of total out-migrants.
• Over time, there has been a shift towards the southern states, reflecting the opening up of new migration corridors in recent years.

By: Vishal