The Role of Locational Factors in Influencing Migration towards Urban Areas Case Study of Pakistan

Abstract

Theories on migrants and migration centers around the idea that migration is a decision making process by individual to move towards areas with better earning opportunities. Especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan, urban centres are a great source of attraction for better and improved livelihood, thus, such region experience massive and continuous current of migration flows. For keen understanding of migration patterns towards urban areas in Pakistan, this research aimed to present social, economic and demographic characteristics of migrants in urban locality, cities and other urban areas, migrated from various parts of the country descriptively. Further, through regression analysis, it explains how the market situations and the socio-economic features of destination attract migrants from all over the country by identifying the factors at destination influencing individuals to migrate in using a penal data spread over seven years from 2005-06 to 2012-13. The results revealed that majority of the migration flows is concentrating within Punjab especially in Lahore after the port city of Sindh, Karachi. Females were found to be more migratory than males. Cities see a higher number of migrants from urban areas, whereas other urban areas have a higher number of migrants from rural areas. It has also been discovered that as individuals of the labour force advance in their education, they become more migratory. In-migration of working-age people is higher in urban areas. Cities with a higher proportion of migrants are also those with a higher economic size. As per regression results, employment, expected wages, unemployment rate, and regional economic contribution, all have a large and significant impact on in-migration and net migration flows, respectively. This research yielded a number of useful policy implications that would help the government and related agencies to better control and guide migration for the benefit of our country, bringing it closer to a path of affluent relative balancing growth and development.