Migration in China

Internal migration in the People's Republic of China is one of the most extensive in the world according to the International Labour Organization.[1] This is because migrants in China are commonly members of a floating population, which refers primarily to migrants in China without local household registration status through the Chinese Hukou system.[2] In general, rural-urban migrants are most excluded from local educational resources, citywide social welfare programs and many jobs because of their lack of hukou status.[3] Migrant workers are not necessarily rural workers; they can simply be people living in urban areas with rural household registration.[4]

In 2015 a total of 277.5 million migrant workers (36% of the total workforce of 770 million) existed in China.[4] Out of these, migrant workers who left their hometown and worked in other provinces accounted for 158.63 million (an increase of 3.4% compared to 2010) and migrant workers who worked within their home provinces reached 94.15 million (an increase of 5.9% compared to 2010).[5] The balance of gender for migrant workers was two-thirds male to one-third female in 2015.[4] Estimations are that Chinese cities will face an influx of another 243 million migrants by 2025, taking the urban population up to nearly 1 billion people.[6] This population of migrants would represent "almost 40 percent of the total urban population," a number which is almost three times the current level.[6][7] While it is often difficult to collect accurate statistical data on migrant floating populations, the number of migrants is undoubtedly quite large. "In China's largest cities, for instance, it is often quoted that at least one out of every five persons is a migrant."[8]

China's government influences the pattern of urbanization through the Hukou permanent residence registration system, land-sale policies, infrastructure investment and the incentives offered to local government officials. The other factors influencing migration of people from rural provincial areas to large cities are more employment, education, and business opportunities, and higher standard of living.

  1. ^ "Labour migration". International Labour Organization. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  2. ^ Liang, Zai; Zhongdong Ma (2004). "China's floating population: new evidence from the 2000 census". Population and Development Review. 30 (3): 467–488. doi:10.1111/j.1728-4457.2004.00024.x.
  3. ^ Chan, Kam Wing; Li Zhang (1999). "The Hukou System and Rural-Urban Migration in China: Processes and Changes". The China Quarterly. 160 (160): 818–855. doi:10.1017/s0305741000001351. PMID 20101805. S2CID 38684915.
  4. ^ a b c "Migrant workers and their children". China Labour Bulletin. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  5. ^ National Bureau of Statistics of China (2012): "Statistical Communiqué on the 2011 National Economic and Social Development", http://www.stats.gov.cn/was40/gjtjj_en_detail.jsp?searchword=migrants&channelid=9528&record=3. (accessed 06.08.2012). (beneath figure 3)
  6. ^ a b Shanghai, Geoff Dyer in (2008-03-23). "China braced for wave of urban migrants". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  7. ^ Jonathan Woetzel; Lenny Mendonca; Janamitra Devan; Stefano Negri; Yangmel Hu; Luke Jordan; Xiujun Li; Alexander Maasry; Geoff Tsen; Flora Yu; et al. (March 2009), Preparing for China's urban billion, McKinsey Global Institute
  8. ^ Wang, Feng; Xuejin Zuo (May 1999). "Inside China's Cities: Institutional Barriers and Opportunities for Urban Migrants". The American Economic Review. 89 (2): 276–280. doi:10.1257/aer.89.2.276. JSTOR 117120.

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