Rural-urban migration and urban underemployment in Brazil

Policies to discourage rural-urban migration, in the interest of alleviating urban poverty, are often considered without regard to the migrant experience in cities. This paper examines the income gains associated with rural-urban migration in Brazil and the assimilation of migrants in the urban labor market. Earnings functions, estimated for a sample of individuals from the 1960 population census, are utilized. The analysis shows that migrants have derived significant income benefits from moving, and that within a short period of time, their income and employment pattern are virtually indistinguishable from those of the urban-born.