Socio-Economic Characteristics of Emigrants and Emigrants' Households A Case Study of Two Villages in Kerala E T Mathew P R Gopinathan Nair The number of persons from Kerala seeking job opportunities outside of India has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Systematic study is necessary to understand the compulsions underlying this outward movement, the socio-economic background of the emigrants, the job opportunities open to them abroad, the subsequent inflow and use of incomes earned abroad, and the impact of all this on the economy of the state.