Why leave?

If people are satisfied where they are, they will not migrate. Throughout history, people have left their native lands for a variety of reasons: religious or racial persecution, lack of political freedom, economic deprivation. The forces that attracted them to new homelands were the opposites of these: religious and political freedom, ethnic tolerance, economic opportunity. The leading motive behind migration has always been economic. Overpopulation creates shortages of jobs and food. The natural resources of a region can become exhausted, impelling a whole group of people to migrate. People who are oppressed for any reason will in all likelihood be economically deprived as well. The movement from farm to city is a prime example of migration for economic reasons. During the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, millions of people left poverty-stricken rural areas for the cities. Even the low-paying, seven-day-a-week jobs in early factories were better than the endless toil and misery of trying to earn a living on the farm. This search for jobs in urban areas has continued to be a leading cause of migration up to the present.