Kerala is facing a growing labour shortage which is disrupting key sectors including construction, plywood manufacturing and agriculture. The crisis has intensified after a large number of migrant workers who returned to their native States for elections failed to come back.
Hotels have reportedly reduced working hours and trimmed menu due to workers shortage and agricultural sectors such as pineapple and cardamom cultivation are struggling to continue routine farming activities.
Industry experts attribute the situation largely to the prolonged absence of migrant workers from States such as West Bengal and Assam. Many workers had travelled home to participate in elections amid concerns over losing ration benefits and citizenship-related documentation if they failed to vote.
At the same time, improving wage levels and expectations of new employment opportunities in their home States under newly elected governments are encouraging many to remain there instead of returning to Kerala.
Ajith Balakrishnan, Secretary, Association of Planters of Kerala cited a decline of nearly 50 per cent in migrant labour availability across plantations. Critical activities such as harvesting, fertilizer application, pruning, pest and disease control, and field maintenance must be carried out within strict timelines. The current shortage has severely disrupted these operations leading to reduced productivity, deterioration in green leaf quality, and heightened vulnerability to pest and disease incidence.
While the natural rubber sector remains relatively insulated due to tapping operations being largely undertaken by the local workforce, the overall plantation economy has already suffered substantial losses, he added.
According to Benoy Peter, more than 40 lakh migrant workers are employed in Kerala, forming the backbone of several labour-intensive sectors. Of this, around 15-20 lakh workers had returned to their native places for elections, and a majority are yet to come back. “We are expecting some people to return after Bakrid and some families with the reopening of schools in June,” he said.
However, employability in Kerala has reduced significantly amid a slowdown in the job market triggered by the West Asia crisis. Hotel operations have been affected due to LPG shortage, while the onset of monsoon is expected to hit employment opportunities in the construction sector. These factors are likely to impact the return of footloose migrant workers.
The onset of monsoon may further delay the return of workers from Bengal, as many are likely to commence farming activities on their own land during the season, he added.
As labour shortage worsens, reports are emerging of aggressive poaching of migrant workers by contractors offering significantly higher wages to retain or attract labourers who have remained in the State.
The competition for workers has become particularly visible in areas such as Muvattupuzha, where labour contractors have reportedly erected notice boards at migrant worker pick-up points displaying the wages being offered. Some contractors have also issued warnings against attempts to lure away workers with better pay, cautioning that such actions could invite repercussions.
Certain contractors are reportedly offering between ₹2,000 and ₹2,500 per day for masons and around ₹2,000 for helpers. This marks a substantial increase from the earlier wage levels of about ₹1,150 for masons and ₹950 for helpers.
Published on May 25, 2026