Labor In China Research Articles

Research on Factors that Influence the Employment of Foreigners in China

In the era of global economic integration and a rapidly changing international workforce, China has witnessed a significant increase in the number of foreign workers, especially since its accession to the WTO. This influx has disrupted China's labor market equilibrium and raised substantial challenges related to national sovereignty, security, social order, and public health. The Chinese legislative landscape grapples with various issues, such as delays in legislation, unclear regulatory boundaries, gaps in emerging sectors, lenient penalties for illegal employment, and inadequate coordination among law enforcement agencies. This paper holds both theoretical and practical importance as it aims to tackle these problems, proposing potential solutions to issues arising from the illicit employment of foreigners. Drawing insights from global legislative practices and emphasizing the safeguarding of domestic labor, this paper seeks to establish a comprehensive legislative framework for foreign employment in China, including provisions for exceptions to equal treatment. Additionally, it advocates for stricter employer accountability and penalties for illegal employment, highlighting the urgent need for improved cooperation and efficiency among law enforcement agencies. Beyond addressing domestic challenges, this paper also promotes international cooperation in foreign labor management, aligning with evolving global standards and continuously enhancing China's legal framework.

Pollution Control and Well-Being in Rural Areas: A Study Based on Survey Data

Pollution control is of great value in order to achieve sustainable development and meet the needs of human development. This paper utilizes data from four rounds of longitudinal surveys conducted between 2012 and 2018 as part of the China Labor Force Dynamic Survey. Employing multiple linear regression methods, it empirically investigates the impact of pollution control on the well-being of rural residents. Empirical results show that even after accounting for individual, village, and family characteristics, pollution control significantly affects the happiness of rural residents. Notably, water pollution control emerges as having the most pronounced impact on rural residents’ happiness. Furthermore, pollution control enhances the well-being of rural residents by improving the village environment, fostering family harmony, and enhancing the physical and mental health of individuals. A heterogeneity analysis indicates that pollution control exerts a stronger influence on the happiness of residents in the central and western region and ordinary villages, while its impact is somewhat weaker in the eastern region. Addressing the pollution issue remains imperative, along with stimulating the endogenous drivers of rural ecological revitalization, enhancing the effectiveness of grassroots governance in rural areas, and continually bolstering the sense of well-being and happiness among the populace.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Labor Market

With the rapid development and wide application of artificial intelligence technology, its impact on China's labor market has become more and more significant, and has also attracted extensive attention and research in the academic community. Artificial intelligence is profoundly changing the pattern of the labor market, which has a significant impact on industrial development as well as employment opportunities. In this paper, the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the labor market is discussed in depth by analyzing the current status of research at home and abroad. The research results show that there is a duality in the impact of AI technology on the labor market, on the one hand, AI technology can improve production efficiency and create more new employment opportunities, on the other hand, the popularization of intelligent technology will also have an impact on some traditional labor positions. Therefore, in order to effectively cope with the challenges brought by AI technology, and at the same time can make better use of the opportunities brought by it to further promote the stability and sustainable development of the labor market and achieve higher quality employment, this paper puts forward relevant policy recommendations.

Influence of perceived value of rural labour in China on the labourers’ willingness to return to their hometown: the moderating effect of social support

ABSTRACT China is vigorously implementing rural revitalization strategy, emphasizing the significance of human resources in the sustainable development of rural areas and agriculture. As China’s economy is entering a new normal stage, the growth rate of rural labourers’ income in cities is slowing down, and the gap between urban and rural net incomes is gradually closing. The labourers who have migrated are gradually showing the willingness to return to their hometowns for development. This study constructs a theoretical framework for the studying of rural labourers’ willingness to return to their hometowns. It finds that the perceived value of rural labour positively influences their willingness to return. Further perceived extrinsic–intrinsic benefits, perceived extrinsic costs, and their perceived values are all significantly and positively correlated. Moreover, formal support has a positive moderating effect between the perceived value of rural labour and willingness to return. The perceived value of rural labour increases with higher perceived benefits and lower perceived costs; the stronger the perceived benefits and perceived value of labour, the greater the willingness to return.

Importance of Different Measured Factors in Accounting for the Levels in the Gender Wage Gap in the China Labour Market

Importance of Different Measured Factors in Accounting for the Levels in the Gender Wage Gap in the China Labour Market

Relationship between urban green space and mental health in older adults: mediating role of relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust.

The importance of improving older adults' mental health is increasing worldwide with the rapid development of the aging process. Green space is an important part of the urban built environment, demonstrates a deep connection with the mental health of older adults, and its internal mechanisms have been widely studied. This study analyzed the influence of urban green spaces on the mental health of older adults via three factors: relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust. Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, a multi-level structural equation model was used to explore the mediating roles of relative deprivation, physical activity, social trust in urban green spaces, and the mental health of older adults. Urban green space was positively correlated with the mental health of older adults. Relative deprivation and physical activities played a mediating role between urban green space and the mental health of older adults. An increase in urban green spaces can help increase the number of older adults obtaining green space resources, and help them maintain good mental health. Secondly, older adults with a relatively homogeneous environment have more equal opportunities to obtain urban green space resources, which helps to reduce the comparison of older adults in access to green space resources and reduce the adverse impact of relative deprivation on their mental health. Additionally, increasing urban green spaces can encourage older adults to engage in physical activities and improve their mental health. Finally, we suggest improving the accessibility, fairness, and quality of green spaces, paying attention to the psychological needs of older adults, encouraging older adults to engage in physical activities in green spaces, and taking various measures to enhance the positive role of green space on the mental health of older adults.

The Causes, Main Performance, and Improvement Measures of Labor Mismatch in China

Labor mismatch affects social and economic efficiency and fairness, and China's labor mismatch needs to be solved urgently. This paper analyzes the phenomenon and causes of China's labor mismatch and tries to put forward solutions. The analysis divides the labor mismatch into three main parts, which are region, education, and industry. The regional mismatch of the labor force is manifested as abundant labor resources in the east and a lack of labor resources in the west. The Eastern region is more developed, and the demand for labor force is large, so there is a shortage of labor force allocation. Due to the poor flow of the labor force, excessive allocation of labor force also exits in the West. In terms of education, the mismatch between talent skills and market demand is an important reason for labor mismatch. There is a talent shortage in some industries, but lots of graduates can't find jobs. Therefore, industry-university-research should be combined. In terms of industry, some young workers today prefer to choose free or emerging industries rather than traditional ones, resulting in a lack of labor in traditional industries. Therefore, traditional industries should carry out upgrading and intelligent transformation.

Environmental bonuses of employment protection: Evidence from labor contract law in China

Although it has been verified that employment protection can bring multiple impacts on firms, few studies have investigated whether and how employment protection affects firm emission decisions. Utilizing a dataset of Chinese industrial firms from 2002 to 2011 and the implementation of China's Labor Contract Law (LCL), we employed a difference-in-differences model to investigate the effect of the employment protection on firm's emissions behaviors. Our empirical results show that firms with higher labor intensity significantly reduce their SO2 emission intensity following the implementation of the law. This result withstood a series of robustness tests. We investigate three potential channels: pollutant treatment, energy use, and green innovation. The findings confirmed that firms can reduce the cost of employment protection by increasing their energy efficiency and the intensity of their clean energy inputs. Furthermore, the LCL's impact was notably pronounced in firms with foreign capital, and those characterized by higher profitability and productivity. Our study seems to confirm that firms do not shift their financial pressure by increasing their emissions behavior, instead, employment protection produces environmental bonuses.

Urban digital economy, environmental pollution, and resident's health-empirical evidence from China.

In light of China's rapid advancement in the digital economy and the implementation of the "Healthy China" initiative, it is crucial to assess the impact of the digital economy on residents' health. This study analyzes data from the 2012, 2014, and 2016 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) to evaluate the health of residents using both subjective and objective criteria. Furthermore, it calculates the digital economy development index for Chinese cities and investigates its influence on the subjective and objective health of residents, along with the underlying mechanisms. The empirical results reveal a U-shaped pattern in the effect of the digital economy on health levels, initially detrimental but subsequently beneficial. The analysis of mechanisms shows that the digital economy's development initially increases and then decreases environmental pollution, impacting health through environmental changes. Additionally, the study finds variations in this impact based on age and urban-rural differences, with more pronounced effects on rural and older adult populations, who also experience the U-shaped curve's turning point more rapidly. These findings highlight the necessity of advancing digital economy infrastructure to positively influence environmental quality and improve public health. The study emphasizes the urgent need for policymakers to invest in digital infrastructure to foster a sustainable and healthy future. This requires a holistic approach to development, focusing on both urban and rural areas, to promote inclusive growth and reduce the digital divide.

The uneven impacts of climate change on China's labor productivity and economy

Climate change is considered to increase economic costs by worsening heat-related labor productivity loss. While extensive global and national research has been conducted on this topic, few studies have analyzed subnational and individual economic impacts, potentially weakening local governments’ motivation to tackle climate change. Figuring out the most affected regions and labors could help climate policymakers to identify priority regions and sectors to allocate adaptation resources efficiently, and enhance stakeholder engagement. This study adopted a provincial Computable General Equilibrium model by distinguishing different labors and regions in modelling work to address the aforementioned gap. The study estimated economic costs at different level under three climate change scenarios (lower (SSP126), middle (SSP245), and higher (SSP585) warming scenario). Low-income regions located in southwest part of China (such as Guangxi and Guizhou), would experience the largest economic loss, 3.4–7.1 times higher than high-income in China by 2100 under SSP245 scenario. Additionally, wages for labors highly sensitive to heat in these regions are expected to rise, for example, by an 8.3% rise in Guangxi, driven by the rising demand for these labors. Conversely, others would experience a significant wage decrease, especially those with less sensitivity (e.g., managers). Therefore, we recommended that national financial supports be allocated more to these most affected regions and that government encourage managers provide assistance to workers vulnerable to heat.

Did Women Have a Revolution?: Debating Labor and Politics in Twentiethth-Century China

Did Women Have a Revolution?: Debating Labor and Politics in Twentiethth-Century China

Heterogeneous environmental policies and employment: evidence from China.

This paper attempts to investigate how the rapid development of China's environmental policy contributes to the changes in China's labour market. We first categorise the environmental regulations into (i) command-and-control policies, (ii) economic incentive policies, and (iii) voluntary environmental agreements (VEAs). Then, we use the provincial panel data over the 2000-2015 period to estimate the effect of alternative environmental regulations on employment in China. The results show that alternative environmental regulations have different impacts on employment. This difference even exists within the same group of environmental policies. Amongst the command-and-control policies, the three simultaneities policy leads to less employment, while the deadline governance systems increase employment. For economic incentive policies, higher environmental tax leads to lower employment, while more funding for environmental research promotes employment. The results also show that more VEAs reduced labour demand. In addition, the dynamic impact and regional heterogeneity of environmental regulations on employment are confirmed by the empirical estimation. Specifically, the economic incentive policies significantly impact employment in Central and Western China, whereas they have a non-significant impact on employment in Eastern China. This finding confirms that economic development impacts the relationship between environmental regulations and employment.

Measuring Non-Internment State-Imposed Forced Labor in Xinjiang and Central Asia: An Assessment of ILO Measurement Guidelines

ABSTRACT Following research reports of widespread forced labor in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act took effect in June 2022. In September 2022, the European Commission proposed legislation prohibiting products involving forced labor on the EU market. This proposal specifies the use of 11 forced labor indicators published by the International Labour Organization (ILO). However, these indicators were originally designed not for measurement, but to help inspectors recognize signs of forced labor at workplaces. They are especially ill-suited to identify state-imposed forced labor mobilization processes—an understudied and under-conceptualized form of human trafficking. This article performs the first academic assessment of the suitability of the ILO’s lesser-known 2012 Survey Guidelines for measuring non-internment state-imposed forced labor systems found in Xinjiang and other Central Asian regions and examines how these systems operate. It argues that while the Guidelines are generally suitable, they require significant adaptations. Due to the inherent nature of state-imposed forced labor, policymakers need to reverse the burden of proof of forced labor or else risk severe underenforcement.

College Employment Problem Based on Stable Matching Theory

Based on the investigation and analysis of the employment psychological status of college graduates in China, this paper puts forward some measures and suggestions to alleviate the severe employment pressure. At the same time, it also provides the theoretical basis and reference materials for related researchers. In recent years, recruiting units have paid more and more attention to the relationship between graduates and employers and the roles played by both parties. It is found that the imbalance between supply and demand in China's labor market is the main factor affecting students' participation in civil service examinations, teachers' academic qualifications and degree certificate system reform. Among them, the employment and working environment of graduates are more influential, while for employers, the biggest impact is the gap between the positions provided by enterprises and social needs.

The Gendered Resource Dilution: Sibling Structure, Parental Non-Monetary Investment, and Child Housework Labor in China

The Gendered Resource Dilution: Sibling Structure, Parental Non-Monetary Investment, and Child Housework Labor in China

Job Preferences and Outcomes for China's College Graduates

AbstractDespite private enterprises dominating China's labour market, college-educated workers are still highly concentrated in the state sector. Using data from the Chinese College Student Survey, we find that 64 per cent of students in the sample expressed a strong preference for state sector employment. We also identify several factors associated with receiving job offers from the state sector, including being male, holding urban hukou status, being a member of the CCP, performing well on standardized tests, attending elite universities and having higher household income or high-status parental backgrounds. These findings suggest that despite China's economic transition, the private sector may still struggle to attract highly educated workers.

Barriers and facilitators of implementing the practice programme for upright positions in the second stage of labour: A mixed-method study.

To explore the possible barriers and facilitators to implementing the Upright Positions in the Second Stage of Labour (UPSSL) programme in Chinese healthcare settings. A mixed-method convergent design with the guidance of Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). An online survey study and semi-structured interviews were conducted between March and May 2023. Healthcare professionals were recruited from four hospitals in Shijiazhuang, China. One hundred and thirty-one participants completed the survey study, and 23 of them were interviewed individually. Descriptive statistics evaluated the possible barriers and facilitators of implementing the UPSSL programme within the CFIR framework quantitatively. Guided by the CFIR framework, qualitative data were analysed using directed content analysis to summarize healthcare professionals' perspectives on barriers and facilitators of the UPSSL programme. Multiple intersectional barriers and facilitators were identified from the survey and semi-interviews. Healthcare professionals believed that the UPSSL programme has a scientific evidence base, systematic contents, and possible benefits for women. However, various barriers existed at individual, system, and organizational levels. Major barriers included healthcare professionals and women's safety concerns towards the use of upright positions during childbirth, the healthcare professionals' unfamiliarity with assisting an upright position birth, poor adaptability of the programme protocol, inadequate facilities and staffing, and a lack of readiness to change in the clinical setting. To facilitate the implementation of the UPSSL programme in China, tailored antenatal education on upright positions, especially addressing safety-related issues, should be provided to pregnant women, their families, or peers to enhance their understanding of and familiarity with such positions. Healthcare professionals should also be offered adequate training opportunities and necessary facilities. Furthermore, national-level policy changes might be required to address midwifery workforce shortages. Additionally, further research is warranted to select, adapt, and test effective implementation strategies for programme adoption. What problem did the study address? The adoption of upright positions during the second stage of labour could promote better maternal and neonatal outcomes and a positive childbirth experience. However, the adoption of upright positions during the second stage of labour is suboptimal in healthcare settings in China. Barriers and facilitators of implementing upright positions during childbirth are unclear. What were the main findings? A range of barriers and facilitators within the CFIR framework to promote upright positions during childbirth from healthcare professionals' perspectives were identified, and the major barriers included safety concerns towards and unfamiliarity with an upright position birth, inadequate facilities and staffing, and a lack of readiness to change in the clinical setting. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This study will enable a better understanding of the barriers and facilitators to promoting upright positions in the second stage of labour in China. The smooth and effective implementation of the UPSSL programme could help to promote better maternal and neonatal outcomes and improve women's childbirth experiences. The reporting of this study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) and Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) guidelines. In this study, healthcare professionals were involved in refining the topic guides and survey questions. Additionally, findings from the interviews were returned to them for comments and corrections.

The interplay of gender, motherhood, and the digital economy in China: exploring the experiences of urban mothers in WeChat businesses

In recent years, there has been tremendous growth in the e-commerce industry in China. This study focuses on the experiences of urban mothers who engage in e-commerce on the WeChat platform. Through in-depth interviews with 35 urban mothers as digital laborers on WeChat, our findings reveal that career disruptions due to childbirth and the lack of public support for domestic care work often drive urban mothers to engage in e-commerce. However, only a small number of highly educated mothers who strategically exemplify the practices of intensive motherhood ideology are able to generate sufficient income. This study sheds light on the commercialization of the online mother communities on WeChat and how these communities reinforce the intensive motherhood ideology. The separation of the public and private spheres in China after the economic reforms has resulted in urban mothers with young children engaging in precarious digital work. Meanwhile, the commercialization of the private sphere has blurred the boundaries between the public and private spheres with market logic, further perpetuating gender inequalities in contemporary China. Further research is needed to understand the impact of the digital economy on female digital labor in China, especially for mothers with young children.

The impact of the artificial intelligence industry on the number and structure of employments in the digital economy environment

This study endeavors to examine the intricate impact of the industries related to artificial intelligence (AI) on both the quantity of labor employment in terms of quantity and the evolving structure of the job market. The study constructs a mechanism and theoretical model to elucidate labor employment dynamics and structural transformations within the AI industry. The research findings reveal discernible trend in China's labor force characterized by a heightened emphasis on education and increased employment opportunities. This study makes a substantial contribution to the field by constructing innovative mechanisms and theoretical frameworks that facilitate a profound comprehension of the intricacies surrounding labor employment and structural changes in the AI industry. This comprehension is grounded in an analysis of the prevailing employment quantity and structure. This study is underpinned by an examination of employment distribution across diverse industries and a meticulous analysis of the workforce's skill diversity. By thoroughly analyzing China's digital economy policies and the strides made in digital technologies, the study formulates a set of recommendations aimed at fostering national economic growth and achieving successful digital transformation. The primary innovation of this study resides in its exploration of the impact of the AI industry with respect to China's labor employment structure through the lens of a Marxist theoretical perspective. Consequently, the study extends both innovative significance and practical value.

Leapfrog logistics: digital trucking platforms, infrastructure, and labor in Brazil and China

Critical political economy analyses have principally conceptualised platforms as unproductive economic forms (rentier capital) skimming value off each intermediated transaction and/or illegitimately extracting and capitalizing user data. This scholarship has also focused heavily on extractive dimensions of global North platforms’ operations within the global South. However, a small but growing literature is examining the productive aspects of digital platforms, while important digital platforms are emerging in Southern economies. These trends draw attention to the prospect of platforms playing a role in leapfrog development. This article examines digital trucking platforms in two major economies of the global South: Brazil and China. We argue that trucking platforms are engendering dramatic transformations of these countries’ disorganised road transport logistics systems. Platforms are centralising investment and co-ordinating control. Utilising technologies which surpass those deployed in the global North, they rationalise disorganised and inefficient transport systems by subjecting them to algorithmic rule and minimising bureaucratic inefficiencies. Through greater centralisation, co-ordination and rationalisation, trucking platforms further serve to proletarianize their owner-operator workforces, driving down costs and eliminating barriers to the geographical circulation of capital. While this offers some benefits to workers, it also exposes them to the vagaries of market discipline in new ways.