China is in the midst of a major move toward urbanization. The
issue of large numbers of farmers-turned-city-workers known in
China as migrant workers must be addressed since a massive
population movement has occurred over the last two decades.
The number of workers from the countryside now working in cities
stands at 120 million, according to the Research Report on China's
Farmers-Turned-Workers released by the Policy Research Office under
the State Council in 2006. When those working in township factories
in their home counties are included, the figure reaches almost 200
million. And the number is rising.
Besides numerical increase, significant changes are taking place
in the composition of the migrant population. According to the
State Council report, those aged between 16 and 30 account for 61
percent of the total migrant population; those between 31 and 40
make up 23 percent; and those older than 41 comprise only 16
percent.
This means that a new generation of migrant workers is replacing
the older generation.
The first generation has its roots in the countryside and its
ultimate destination is a return to the rural home place. In recent
years, many urban enterprises have begun to impose age limits on
workers. As a result, large numbers of older farmers-turned-workers
are expected to return to the countryside.
However, things are markedly different with the new generation
of migrant workers.
The majority have had education above the middle school level.
Many are unmarried and have no families to support back home. The
majority have little experience in farm work.
Their motivation for working in cities is different from their
predecessors, and they have different expectations. They not only
hope to make a living in urban areas but also want to start
careers. Some observers say this group of migrant workers has
embarked on a road of no return.
In view of all this, the issue of making migrant workers regular
urban workers and residents has been put on the agenda.
But institutional stumbling blocks stand in the way.
First is the decades-old domicile control system which
differentiates urban and rural populations. This is the almost
insurmountable threshold for migrant workers to cross to become
real urban residents.
Reform of the existing domicile control system was launched in
various localities in recent years. It involves unifying residence
registration in urban and rural areas and granting permanent
residence permits to rural people in cities.
But the reform projects were abruptly stopped.
Take Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province. Domicile reform was
started in the city as early as 2001. By 2003, domicile control was
announced to have been "totally liberalized".
However, the brakes were abruptly applied to the reform project
in August 2004. The city authorities explained that rapid
population growth strained the city's traffic system, educational
resources and social security system. Shenyang, provincial capital
of Liaoning, had similar experiences.
Second, the issues also involve the social security system and
various kinds of welfare benefits closely associated with permanent
urban residence permits.
This poses an even greater barrier to overcome than the
residence-permit system itself.
The problem is the great gulf between urban and rural
populations in terms of social security and other welfare benefits.
In addition, the principle that fees come before enjoying benefits
is a foundation of the urban social security system. For years,
most urban residents have had money deducted from their salary that
goes to the social security funds. Migrant workers are still
outside the system.
Third, two different labor markets exist for urbanites and their
rural counterparts the high-end market and the low-end.
Better educated urban residents often get jobs that pay much
more than those landed by more poorly educated workers from the
countryside.
Even if the institutional stumbling blocks such as the domicile
control system are removed, migrant workers' low incomes will still
make it impossible for them to sustain themselves as regular urban
residents and workers.
It is unrealistic to expect that the migrant population will
really be incorporated into cities in a short span of time.
Conditions need to be created to reach that goal. It will take a
few generations before the migrant population becomes truly
integrated with the urban population.
The government must start facilitating that integration now.
The experience of early overseas Chinese integration into
Western societies may offer some enlightenment.
To begin with, they were mostly in low-end professions, running
restaurants and laundries, working as cooks and tailors. They were
on very low rungs of the social ladder.
However, Chinese, including overseas Chinese, generally give top
priority to their children's education. As a result, the children
and the following generations of the early overseas Chinese
received good education, which served as stepping stones into
Western society.
In the long run, education is also a prescription for migrant
workers' children to integrate into the cities.
The author is a professor with the Sociology Department of
Tsinghua University
(China Daily March 27, 2007)