Question

What are some effects of displacement on the working class?

Answer 1

Displacement can be due to many concerns and generally impact a wide array of people. Generally, the poorer and working class sections of the society which are most vulnerable to any kind of negative development and are worst hit by such phenomenon, it can be due to natural conditions like famine or flood or due to developmental factors like lack of employment or poor connectivity with the developmental capital.

When the displacement comes induced by the developmental factors there is a general lack of skill and high level of poverty amongst the displaced members. This reduces their wage bargaining potential which leads them to work mostly in labour abundant semi skilled sectors rather than highly skilled service or capital goods sector.They tend to work at below decent wage levels and there is a ghettoization of such labour in and around factory areas. This also destroys the developmental differential further due to proliferation of urban spaces at the expanse of hinterland which further accentuates the rate of displacement. With time, the bargaining power of the labour reduces to abysmal levels while they are further pushed into bone breaking poverty levels and no change in their conditions.