This article offers an exposition of the role of migrant workers in driving economic development in Pasakha, which is an industrial estate located on the Bhutan-India border. Originating from rural Bhutan and neighbouring India, these workers fill essential low- and semi-skilled jobs in Pasakha’s factories, often residing in makeshift colonies close to the industrial sites. Migrants arrive in Pasakha for a range of reasons, including declining agricultural returns and limited employment opportunities in their places of origins. They consider employment in Pasakha as a pathway to better livelihoods and social mobility, even as their integration into the Pasakha destination also entails a new set of vulnerabilities they need to navigate.