The paper focuses on the question of how rural labour markets and migration can be made to work better for poverty reduction. Using select case studies and longitudinal studies from five parts of India and Bangladesh the key processes are discussed that shape rural labour markets and how these have evolved over time with the changing macro-economic, policy, agro-ecological and infrastructural context. Each region is discussed separately to draw out the influence of location specific factors and illustrate the complexity of labour markets in South Asia. [ODI].