Interventions to Alleviate Loneliness Among Migrant Workers in India

Principal Investigators: Heather Schofield, PhD, Achyut Adhvaryu, PhD and Anant Nyshadha, PhD.

In partnership with the Good Business Lab, this project examines the impact of interventions aimed at alleviating loneliness and social isolation among migrant workers at garment factories in and around Bangalore, India. These interventions are intended to improve the lives of workers and to reduce the social and emotional costs of migration, improving retention, productivity, and remittances along with worker satisfaction and mental health.  These effects may be exacerbated among female migrants who frequently staff garment factories but are often restricted in their ability to move freely and socialize, potentially contributing to the exceptionally low rates of female labor force participation in India and perpetuating economic inequality across genders. Reducing the social and well-being costs of migration has the potential to improve the lives and mental health of these workers as well as their economic outcomes and financial well-being.