Labor Migration: Causes and Theories in the 21st Century

While the pace of migration had accelerated since the 18th century (including the involuntary slave trade), it would increase further in the 19th century. Manning distinguishes three major types of migration: labor migration, refugee migrations, and urbanization. Millions of agricultural workers left the countryside and moved to the cities, causing unprecedented levels of urbanization. This phenomenon began in Britain in the late 18th century, spread around the world, and continues to this day in many areas.

Migration for work in the 21st century has become a popular way for individuals from impoverished developing countries to obtain sufficient income for survival. This income is sent home to family members in the form of remittances and has become an economic staple in a number of developing countries. There are a number of theories to explain the international flow of capital and people from one country to another.

This is the *newest* theory of migration and states that the main reason for labor migration is the wage difference between two geographic locations. These wage differences are usually linked to geographic labor demand and supply. Labor tends to flow from low-wage areas to high-wage areas. Neoclassical economic theory is best used to describe transnational migration because it is not confined by international immigration laws and similar governmental regulations.

Dual labor market theory states that migration is mainly caused by **pull factors** in more developed countries. This theory assumes that the labor markets in these developed countries consist of two segments:

This theory assumes that migration from less developed countries into more developed countries is a result of a pull created by a need for labor in the developed countries in their secondary market. Migrant workers are needed to fill the lowest rung of the labor market because the native laborers do not want to do these jobs as they present a lack of mobility.