Are Tamilians losing opportunities due to the presence of North Indians in Tamil Nadu?

Every morning, thousands of people from the northern states arrive at Chennai Central railway station. Similarly, large numbers of people from the northern states also travel to and from railway stations in cities like Coimbatore and Tirupur.
Now, they are working in various sectors across Tamil Nadu, from agriculture, such as planting seedlings and weeding to hospitals. It is human nature to seek opportunities wherever they exist. However, this has raised several questions: Will their arrival lead to a loss of jobs for Tamils? If this trend continues, will the dominance of North Indians grow to the extent that they secure a prominent place in Tamil Nadu's politics?
In 2021, it was reported that over 10 lakh people from the northern states were employed in Tamil Nadu. That number has now increased significantly. Various organizations and political parties claim that nearly 1.5 crore people from the northern states have settled in Tamil Nadu.
Some argue that North Indians are taking away employment opportunities from Tamils by working for lower wages. However, this claim needs closer examination. Over the past decade, all the skyscrapers and massive bridges built in Tamil Nadu have been constructed with the blood and sweat of workers from the northern states. It cannot be denied that some have even lost their lives in the process. According to the 2023-24 Economic Survey, Tamil Nadu contributes 8.5% to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and migrant workers have played a significant role in this.
One of the key reasons for this situation is Tamil Nadu’s advancement in education compared to the northern states. The educational foundation in Tamil Nadu is much stronger than in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. As a result, a higher percentage of Tamil Nadu’s youth pursue higher education, making them less interested in jobs that require hard physical labor. With a shortage of local laborers, employers naturally look elsewhere.
Employers in Tamil Nadu hire migrant workers because they are willing to do even the most physically demanding jobs that locals avoid, and for lower wages. North Indian laborers earn between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 14,000 per month, whereas Tamil workers demand at least Rs. 1,000 per day for the same work.
Tamil Nadu is also home to the largest number of factories in India, with nearly 30,000 small and large industrial units. This is one of the main reasons why workers from the northern states are migrating to Tamil Nadu with confidence.
Once, there was a saying: "The North thrives while the South struggles." Today, there is growing fear that this situation may soon reverse. Adding to these concerns, the central government is continuously pushing for the mandatory implementation of Hindi. Additionally, policies like enabling ration distribution anywhere in the country are seen as favoring migrant workers from the northern states.
If this trend continues, it is understandable why social activists in Tamil Nadu fear that a new reality may emerge, where "the North thrives while seated in the South."