Millions of job seekers in South Asia, including many tribals, are forced by lack of local employment opportunities to migrate towards urban areas. This fieldwork-based study aims to understand specifically which factors influence job search processes among tribals from two states in India—Jharkhand and West Bengal. It examines their reasons for moving and factors on which job search depends, methods adopted in job search, the extent of different options and limitations because of the nature of jobs available and the skills levels of the people concerned. Based on these ethnographic findings, some policy concerns are raised in terms of monitoring of migration and protection of food security for tribal communities and other structurally disadvantaged rural people in South Asia.
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