Economic integration of temporary and permanent migrants: Between migrant and return migrant status

Abstract

This article examines the economic integration and reintegration outcomes and processes of temporary and permanent migrants in the case of rural-to-urban migrants in China. Using a life-course perspective, I measure the integration levels of both temporary and permanent migrants in urban destinations and rural hometowns over time. Through this measurement, I investigate the differences between temporary and permanent migrants in terms of economic integration in urban destinations and reintegration in rural hometowns. The findings suggest that temporary migrants experience lower economic integration and reintegration levels than permanent migrants, highlighting the persistent advantages of permanent migrants over time. Additionally, I explore and compare the underlying processes that explain this gap for temporary and permanent migrants in both urban destinations and rural hometowns over time, including the selection process and the heterogeneous integration process. The results indicate that permanent migrants are consistently more educated than temporary migrants, reflecting a consistently positive selection of permanent migrants. Furthermore, temporary migrants rely more on individual traits, such as gender and marital status, than permanent migrants for integration and reintegration. By considering both the integration and reintegration of temporary and permanent migrants, this study provides a holistic and dynamic understanding of their integration outcomes and processes. The underlying mechanisms, the theoretical contributions of these mechanisms, and the implications of these findings to a broader migration context are also discussed.