Some Features of Migration and Labour Mobility in the Leather Accessories Manufacture in India: A Study of the Informal Sector Industry in Dharavi, Mumbai

There has been a shift in the economic policy in India since the mid 1980s, though the intensity and spread of economic reforms across different sectors of the economy increased since 1990-91. As part of the economic reforms, certain sectors such as the leather industry were selected for promoting growth of output and exports. Following this, and favourable international conditions, the leather industry in India has experienced an unprecedented growth in total employment, informal employment and exports in the post reform period. This paper is a study of workers in the leather accessories manufacture in Dharavi, Mumbai. The focus is on certain features of employment such as migration and labour mobility. The core data for the paper are from field surveys conducted in the industry in Dharavi in 2000-01, roughly 10 years after the economic reforms of the 1990s were initiated.