The economics of seasonal labour migration in Sri Lanka
Crooks, G.R.; Ranbanda, H.A.
Research Study Series, Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Sri Lanka 46: 61
1981
Document Number: 329200
This study aims to shed light on the conditions which necessitate a seasonal labour movement from the Wet Zone to the Dry Zone in Sri Lanka, the likely requirement of seasonal labour of the Dry Zone farmers, the potential availability of such labour in the Wet Zone, the socioeconomic conditions of both the seasonally migrant labourers and their employers and the ways of recruiting the migratory labour and their wages. It is shown that the seasonal labour migration provides employment to otherwise unemployed groups of people in the Wet Zone during those periods, while relieving the Dry Zone farmers from labour shortages at critical times. It serves as an income transfer mechanism from the relatively wealthy Dry Zone farmers to the relatively poor Wet Zone labourers. It is argued that the seasonal labour migration is a healthy factor in the country's agrarian economy and a proper process of monitoring the agricultural labour market is called for.