Socio-Economic Determinants of Rural-Urban Migration in Pakistan

Abstract

Different theories interpret the migration differently. Difference of interpretation of migration depends upon the structural and conceptual framework of each approach. At the macro-level, neoclassical approach describes migration by geographic differences in the demand and supply of labor. The subsequent differences in wages cause labors to move from labor-surplus, low-wage areas to labors scarce, and high-wage areas. Other theories consider social, psychological and political factors dominating in migration decision. The objective of this study is to analyze the socio-economic determinants of rural-urban migration in Pakistan. For this purpose primary data Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2010-11 is used. SPSS software is used for analysis; the logistic regression is applied to estimate the impact of socio-economic determinants on rural to urban migration in Pakistan. The empirics of the study show that there is significant relationship between Employment, Agriculture landholding, Business, being a dependent, Marriages and migration decision. The marriages (73%) play major role in migration decision in Pakistan, and marriages are the major determinant of migration in Pakistan. This study is helpful for policy makers that they may correct the grounds of rapid unplanned migration by correcting the problems at grass root level and providing the opportunities in rural areas, if, migration is problem.