Hi,
Many people in the 19th century worked on the land where wages could be pretty low. In Essex, for example, the wages were some of the lowest in the country & the fledgling farm workers union encouraged men to move North to create a labour shortage & thus push up wages. Not sure how successful it was as some did move away, but subsequently moved back South. In the West country, Somerset coalminers would move to the pits in South Wales as their demand for labour grew. I've found in my research that where work is scarce people move, conversely there is less movement when there is plenty of work to be had.
Regards
Clive