Rural and Urban Migrants in India:

This paper characterizes the gross and net migration ows between rural and urban areas in India during 1983-2008 period. Using individual data from the National Sample Survey of India we show that the 5-year gross migration ows constitute about 10% of Indias labor force and are stable over time. Migrants tend to be younger and more educated than non-migrants. They also are more likely to work part-time and in regular employment and less likely to be self-employed. Migrants from rural and urban areas have higher mean and median wages relative to non-migrants in the same locations. However, there are di¤erences in the size of the wage gaps along the wage distribution and their dynamics over time