Kerala migrant exodus strains labour

Migrant workers are leaving Kerala for home-state voting, and the departures are already slowing construction sites, hotels and other shift-based work. (english.mathrubhumi.com) Mathrubhumi reported on April 19 that Alappuzha district is seeing acute shortages after workers from West Bengal headed home ahead of that state’s Assembly polls on April 23 and April 29. The report said hotels, construction crews and even small services such as barber shops were struggling to stay staffed. (english.mathrubhumi.com) The squeeze is not limited to one district. ETV Bharat reported on April 18 that workers from West Bengal and Assam leaving Kerala have disrupted construction, small industry, hospitality and manufacturing across the state. (etvbharat.com) West Bengal is central to the shock because it supplies a large share of Kerala’s migrant workforce. The New Indian Express, citing migration experts, reported on April 17 that West Bengal accounts for nearly 40% of Kerala’s migrant labour pool, while Kerala hosts about 40 lakh workers from 25 states. (newindianexpress.com) That dependence built up over years as Kerala’s ageing population, high out-migration and wage structure pushed employers toward interstate labour for physically demanding, time-sensitive work. Kerala Planning Board member K. Raviraman told ETV Bharat that better wages and social security made the state a “welfare magnet” for migrant workers. (etvbharat.com) The immediate trigger is voting, but several reports say fear is also shaping travel decisions. The New Indian Express reported that migrants were anxious after about 90 lakh voters were excluded during a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, and migration researcher Benoy Peter said many workers were rushing back to protect their voting rights. (newindianexpress.com) Some reports describe the outflow in very large numbers. Mathrubhumi said about 8 lakh migrant workers left Kerala over two months amid elections and citizenship-verification fears, with construction, plywood manufacturing and agriculture among the sectors hit hardest. (mathrubhumi.com) The strain is showing up in infrastructure work too. Onmanorama reported on April 18 that labour shortages tied to the West Bengal election were slowing the coastal railway doubling project in Alappuzha, with the coming monsoon raising the risk of further delays. (onmanorama.com) Kerala has seen similar vulnerability before, when fuel shortages and restaurant closures pushed migrant workers in hospitality to head home ahead of Ramzan and the election season. Mathrubhumi reported last month that reserved train tickets to Assam and West Bengal were already waitlisted as that movement picked up. (english.mathrubhumi.com) For employers, the problem is not just fewer hands but missing workers in jobs that run on fixed shifts, tight deadlines and overnight coverage. Until polling ends and workers begin returning, Kerala’s labour-heavy sectors are likely to keep operating with thinner crews and slower schedules. (english.mathrubhumi.com)