Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), the world's largest anti-poverty alliance, claims in a report released January 6 in Beijing that young Chinese in rural areas are reluctant to farm due to low returns.

The Report on Chinese Migrant Workers' Living Conditions says the number of migrant workers leaving the countryside to work in the cities increased sharply over the last two decades to between 130 million and 150 million as demand for labor grew in China's fast-growing economy.

Migrant workers lack rights to education, medical treatment and social security because the Chinese welfare system is tied up with household registration system, making it difficult for people to get access to social services out of their home towns. As a result migrant workers are discriminated against and often face poverty in big cities. GCAP worked with 14 partners including NGOs, universities and research organizations to investigate the living and working conditions of Chinese migrant workers in four provinces and five regions

According to the report, the educational level of migrant workers is improving with increasing numbers holding bachelor degrees or vocational certificates. Salaries of male and female migrant workers differ considerably, the report says. The average monthly income of male workers is 1,233 yuan (US$180) while female workers earn only 929 yuan (US$134). Male workers with professional qualifications earn about 1,400 yuan (US$205), 300 yuan more than those without certificates while female workers with certificates earn 1,000 yuan (US$146), just 100 yuan more than those without certificates.