Space of Hope or Despair? Well-Being, Precarity, and Adaptive Capacity of Migrant Labourers in Thimphu and Pasakha

Abstract

Every urban space in Bhutan is simultaneously a place of potential opportunity and deep-seated precarity. Low-skilled migrant workers navigate these two complex landscapes to make opportunity outweigh precarity with the best possible means and strategies. This article analyses precarity, well-being, and adaptive capacity of low-skilled migrants in Thimphu and Pasakha. The low-skilled migrants encounter complex challenges as they enter the labour market at the lowest possible point, associated with limited space, economic tensions, workplace safety hazards, and substandard housing issues. To draw logical inferences, a questionnaire survey administered to 461 participants (161 in Pasakha and 300 in Thimphu) was analysed with five different themes taken into consideration. The article delves into how migration shapes well-being through complex interaction with, and implication for, climate change, adaptive capacity, and precarity. The result indicates a mixed outcome but relatively low level of well-being and a precarious livelihood characterised by housing problems, employment insecurity, and environmental concerns, among others.