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In numerous nations, an increasing number of people are shifting from their rural environs to urban centres for the purpose of gaining employment. The chief benefit is the opportunity it presents for persons to alleviate their family from penury through the greater opportunity for work available in cities. The disadvantages are the stagnation of rural economies and the frequent deterioration in living conditions of workers migrating to cities. The essay will analyse the merits and demerits of the situation, followed by a logical conclusion.
Supporters argue that the increase in the phenomenon of migrant labour to cities enables workers to fashion an improvement in their socio-economic condition. The lack of wide-ranging job opportunities in villages limits their pursuit of creative economic ventures. The abundance of skilled as well as unskilled labour in the cities due to the in-migration not only facilitates the development of ambitious public works in the metropolitan centres, but also allows persons from various geographies to interact and develop enterprising business ideas. A case in point is the development of numerous patents by persons who have shifted to urban centres and found themselves unencumbered by financial worries and the scientific temperament.
The principal disadvantage of this rural out-migration is the increasingly sluggish growth of the agrarian economy. With limited labour available in villages, even during the tilling and harvesting season, farm owners find it increasingly difficult to cultivate land to its fullest potential. The other major drawback is the decline in the health and well-being of workers as they are forced to live in deprived shanties, which have become a common feature of towns across the world. The first point of entry for most workers are overcrowded tenements in cities, as with their limited economic resources, they are unable to afford better conditions. Jehangirpuri slum in Delhi and Dharavi in Mumbai are known to house millions of migrant labour.
In conclusion, it must be said that the disadvantages, in terms of decline in rural productivity and the deterioration in the health and well-being of workers, outweigh the advantages of this phenomenon.
