Invisible and Visible Precarity in Urban Bhutan: Housing as an Analytical Lens

Abstract

Internal migration is becoming a defining feature of Bhutan’s landscape. While quantitative data on population movement is increasingly available, the lived experiences of migrants remain underrepresented in public discourse. This article draws on research conducted under the SUCCESS Project (Successful Intervention Pathways for Migration as Adaptation) and centers the voices of low-income migrants. Focusing on two of the country’s most urbanized locations; Thimphu and Phuentsholing, the study highlights the everyday realities, challenges, and adaptive strategies of individuals navigating labour migration. While migrants from different socio- economic backgrounds adapt in varied ways to new environments, this article focuses specifically on vulnerable groups to identify the key challenges they face in destination areas - spaces often associated with opportunities for upward socio-economic mobility. Although migration is linked to upward mobility, for low-income and vulnerable populations it can also introduce new forms of precarity. This article examines the experiences of low-income migrants in the two destination areas through the lens of housing, highlighting how migration can expose individuals to new and often overlooked vulnerabilities.