Labour Migration and Wage Dynamics in Plantation Sector: Evidence from Kerala

  • Unique Paper ID: 207011
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 2
  • PageNo: 3604-3609
  • Abstract:
  • Labour migration has become a significant feature of Kerala’s plantation economy, driven by structural changes in labour supply and wage dynamics. This study examines the relationship between migrant labour inflows and wage patterns in the plantation sector using secondary data from sources such as the Kerala Economic Review and Labour Bureau reports. The findings reveal that higher wage rates in Kerala compared to other plantation-producing states have acted as a major pull factor for inter-state migrant workers. At the same time, declining participation of native labour due to better opportunities in non-agricultural sectors has increased reliance on migrant workers. The study also identifies emerging wage disparities and labour market segmentation within the sector. While migration has helped address labour shortages, rising labour costs pose challenges to plantation profitability. The paper highlights the need for policy measures to ensure equitable wages and improved working conditions.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{207011,
        author = {Mr. Gireesh K Hari and Dr. V. Vaithianathan,},
        title = {Labour Migration and Wage Dynamics in Plantation Sector: Evidence from Kerala},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {2},
        pages = {3604-3609},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=207011},
        abstract = {Labour migration has become a significant feature of Kerala’s plantation economy, driven by structural changes in labour supply and wage dynamics. This study examines the relationship between migrant labour inflows and wage patterns in the plantation sector using secondary data from sources such as the Kerala Economic Review and Labour Bureau reports. The findings reveal that higher wage rates in Kerala compared to other plantation-producing states have acted as a major pull factor for inter-state migrant workers. At the same time, declining participation of native labour due to better opportunities in non-agricultural sectors has increased reliance on migrant workers. The study also identifies emerging wage disparities and labour market segmentation within the sector. While migration has helped address labour shortages, rising labour costs pose challenges to plantation profitability. The paper highlights the need for policy measures to ensure equitable wages and improved working conditions.},
        keywords = {Labour Migration; Plantation Economy; Wage Dynamics; Migrant Workers; Kerala; Labour Market Segmentation; Wage Inequality; Inter-State Migration},
        month = {July},
        }

Cite This Article

Hari, M. G. K., & Vaithianathan,, D. V. (2026). Labour Migration and Wage Dynamics in Plantation Sector: Evidence from Kerala. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 13(2), 3604–3609.

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