Rural-urban migration continues to attract much
interest, but also growing concern. Migrants are
often blamed for increasing urban poverty, but
not all migrants are poor. In many cities, however,
migrants form a large proportion of the urban poor
with whom they share income and non-income
disadvantages, including difficulties in finding
adequate housing and in accessing services. Like
the majority of the urban poor, they work long
hours in low-paid, insecure and unsafe jobs and
are exposed to a wide range of environmental
hazards because most low-income and informal
settlements lack basic infrastructure. In many cases
when urban governments try to reduce or control
rural–urban migration, this also affects low-income
residents and not just migrants.