Working Paper: 526

Job-Seeking Behaviour, Employment, Labour Employability
Skills, Dissatisfaction and Job Mobility: A Study of
North-East Migrant Workers in Bengaluru

Reimeingam Marchang

 

Abstract

The size of North East (NE) migrant workers in Bengaluru has been rapidly growing primarily due to unemployment issues at the origin of migration. This paper examines the job-seeking behaviour, nature of employment, employability skills and traits, and the job mobility for the migrant workers from NE to Bengaluru using primary data. Migrant workers extensively use social networks for migration in a job search. They are largely flexible in searching and choosing their aspired job. The majority of the migrants work in the private sector predominantly in retail, corporate and hospitality sectors. Employability skills, specifically communication and flexibility, enable them to get a job within a short period. Many workers do not enter into job agreements with employers causing job insecurity and instability for the workers. Workers derived labour competency that is a mental ability to execute work from confidence, skills, ability, experience and education. Migrant workers have a higher employability trait in the occupations of retail, teacher, corporate, banking, and hospitality among others. Communication has been the foremost employability skill. Labour employability is attributed to intrinsic skills as well as exogenous factors. Job training enhances labour employability and job stability. Migrant workers tend to switch their job basically for wage growth. Hence, it is imperative to promote and develop employability skills through training and apprenticeship to enhance labour employability.

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