Understanding Temporary Labour Migration Through the Lens of Caste: India Case Study

Abstract

AbstractTemporary labour migration is known to be one of the most important livelihood options used by the poorest sectors of society in a variety of contexts, in developing countries, including India. Using large-scale data from the Indian National Sample Survey, 2007–2008, this chapter tries to explain the structure and flow of temporary labour migration, and its relationship with caste. The results suggest that the highest share of temporary labour migrants is found among rural to urban migrants (63%), and that there is a dominance of inter-state migration, particularly from the under-developed states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Our analysis corroborates earlier studies and shows that temporary labour migration rates are higher at the national level among the most disadvantaged social groups, namely the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Scheduled Castes (SCs) (45 and 24 per 1000 respectively) compared to Other Backward Classes (19 per 1000) and Others (12 per 1000). Our analysis shows that temporary labour migration rates were twice as high among the poorest of the poor as any other caste group. The findings point to a strong link between caste and temporary migration in India.