Assessing the Consequences of the COVID-19 Lockdown for Migrant Labourers in Assam

The nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions of migrant workers across the country reversing their migration involuntarily. During the pandemic, the halt in economic activity resulted in massive unemployment. As the distribution of migrants shifted, it created an opportunity to study the pandemic's impact on them. The main objective of this paper is to examine the socio-economic profile of migrants, the post-pandemic effects on them at their destinations, and the factors influencing their decisions to return after the pandemic. The study is based on primary data collected through a snowball sampling method conducted from July to December 2022 among 322 returned migrant workers in the Kokrajhar district of Assam. The findings indicate that the majority of migrants are male, under the age of 35, married, and possess very low or no educational qualifications, with a significant portion belonging to the Muslim community. Most of these migrants previously worked in construction or as daily laborers. The analysis reveals that migrants who were unemployed during the pandemic are more likely to return to their places of origin. Additionally, the number of working days and the status of remittances are significantly related to job satisfaction among migrants.