Workers In Urban China Research Articles

Promotion Tournament, Labor Market Tightening and Pension Generosity: A Comparative Public Policy Analysis of Pension System for Urban Workers in China (1997–2013)

This article conducts a comparative public policy analysis of China’s generous urban worker basic pension system. It is commonly believed that Chinese local governments, which are motived by office-seeking incentives under decentralization, may foster economic growth at the expense of citizens’ social rights and thus “promotion tournament competition” comes into being. This article challenges this view by arguing that such competition can increase the generosity of social programs such as public pensions, especially in the condition of labor scarcity. This argument is supported by time-series cross-section analysis of 31 Chinese provincial units (1997–2013) using a novel indicator of the intensity of inter-locality competition. When the labor market tightens, workers can leave a locality to seek better compensation. Motivated by the promotion tournament competition to develop the local economy, which requires the issue of labor shortage to be addressed, local governments then provide generous local pension schemes to retain workers. Operating in a macroeconomic climate of labor scarcity, promotion tournament competition becomes an unlikely catalyst for welfare expansion in China.

Consumer behavior of rural migrant workers in urban China

In Chinese cities, rural migrant workers are usually considered consumers with the lowest purchasing power. Nevertheless, the younger generation of rural migrants, who are considerably better educated and higher paid than their predecessors, form a growing group of able consumers. The increased consumption demand and capacity of rural migrants have started to transform the commercial landscape of Chinese cities, potentially contributing to the country's transition towards a consumption-driven economy. Based on a 2012 survey in Jiangsu Province, this paper identifies four distinct consumer types among young rural migrant workers: conservative, balanced, frustrated and adventurous. Their different consumption behaviors are shaped not only by their financial capacities, but also by their family responsibilities and acculturation attitudes in the city. Despite the similar constraints faced by all young rural migrant workers, some are more eager to develop an urban lifestyle and identity through imitating the consumer behavior of urban natives, while others largely retain rural customs and habits, which are shared by older generation migrant workers. The findings point to the impact of social and institutional barriers on rural migrants' consumption in light of increased social inequality amid China's urban transition.

English listening, speaking, and earnings among workers in urban China

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relationship between English language skills and earnings among workers in urban China using micro-data from the 2015 China General Social Survey. Using OLS and 2SLS regressions, we find that there are positive economic returns to English language skills (both listening and speaking) among workers in urban China. We also find that there is considerable heterogeneity in the returns to English skills. There is a relationship of complementarity between language and other human capital such as working experience. But only limited evidence with respect to the complementarity between language and education has been found in our setting.

Research on the Influence of Working Hours on Obesity of Urban Workers in China

Background: China's obesity rate has grown explosively in the past few decades, and overtime work has become the norm for urban workers in China. It is of great significance to investigate the influence of working hours on obesity in order to prevent obesity and regulate the labor market. Methods: Based on the 2018 China Family Panel Studies, this paper first uses the logit regression method to investigate the effect of working hours on obesity of urban workers in China, and then uses the intermediary effect model to investigate the intermediary effect of weekly exercise time and sleep time. Finally, heterogeneity was analyzed for different gender and income groups. Results: (1) Urban workers who work more than 40 hours a week are more likely to be obese than those who work less than 40 hours a week. (2) The Mediator Model found that: in the conduction mechanism of working hours affecting obesity, week exercise time (less than 30 minutes per day) and sleep time (less than 8 hours per working day) both serve as a mediator, and the mediating effect of exercise time is greater than that of sleep time. That means, working more than 40 hours a week cannot only directly increase the risk of obesity among urban workers, but also indirectly increase their risk of obesity by reducing their exercise time and working-day sleep time. (3) A heterogeneity regression analysis found that, compared with urban workers who work less than 40 hours a week, working more than 40 hours a week has a greater impact on obesity among women and low-income groups. Conclusions: The above studies show that, obesity as a complex multifactorial disease, not only genetic, dietary and environmental factors should be taken into account, but also employee week work hours should be considered as a potential risk factor.

Regional Heterogeneity of Migrant Rent Affordability Stress in Urban China: A Comparison between Skilled and Unskilled Migrants at Prefecture Level and Above

Rental housing unaffordability has been widely used to assess the housing poverty problem among immigrants in the developed and developing countries. China is experiencing an unprecedented urbanization process, with two-thirds of its 250 million migrants now being sheltered in private rental housing in the host cities. In this paper, we aimed to examine the rental housing unaffordability problems faced by migrant workers in urban China and provide policy recommendations for a more accessible and affordable migrant housing provision system. We used the household data on China’s Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey (MDMS), released in 2016, across China’s 329 prefecture-level cities and above to look into the sociality and spatiality of migrant rent expenses and rent-income ratio at the prefecture-level cities and above. The statistical tests were conducted to examine the socio- and spatial-variance of these rent stress indexes, and it was found that educational level is a significant and quite powerful indicator in predicting who will or will not assume the heavier rental housing pressure. We then continued to reveal the different spatiality of high-rent-stress migrants across the high- and low-skilled categories. An agglomeration of the high-skilled high-rent-stress migrants was witnessed in the coastal growth engines of urban clusters, while a more spillover-like pattern among the low-skilled high-rent-stress migrants was reported in our study. An ordinary least square and spatial regression analysis was conducted to explain their respective mechanisms.

Life Satisfaction of Rural Migrant Workers in Urban China: The Roles of Community Service Participation and Identity Integration

China is home to approximately 245 million rural-to-urban migrant workers. The influx of migrants into urban areas has posed various challenges for local social service systems. Recently, increasing number of community services have been developed to meet the growing service demands from the migrant population. However, whether increase in community service use results in improved wellbeing among migrant workers remains critically unexplored. As such, this study examines the role of community service use in migrant workers’ life satisfaction and the potential mediating effect of identity integration in Shenzhen, China. Bootstrapped models were adopted to examine relationship among variables. Drawing from a sample of 1,087 rural-to-urban migrant workers, we found that community service use is positively correlated with both identity integration and migrant workers’ life satisfaction. Moreover, identity integration served as a partial mediator between community service use and life satisfaction. The mediating effect of identity integration was found to increase with age. This study highlights that diverse services should be implemented to address divergent needs of migrants in different age groups. Community service can also serve as a vehicle to foster integration among migrant workers in host communities, especially for older age groups. Future studies may further investigate the relationships between community social capital, community social support, quality of community-based organization and frequency of service use so as to optimize the life satisfaction of migrant workers.

Gendered labour regimes: on the organizing of domestic workers in urban China

The development of China domestic services sector relies on a gendered labour regime that is also at the basis of the country rapid economic growth. Domestic workers face many obstacles at defending their rights. The state’s Labour Contract Law does not consider them. Besides, market competition and urban mainstream culture place domestic workers in marginal and atomized positions. But their gender identity, as well as their migrant workers’identity, have become useful resources for the establishment of social support relationships. The networks build on this double identity procure them the emotional support they need and contribute to improve their ability.

Choreographing “ChinAfrica” through Transnational Encounter

A dance film made by two Belgian directors collaborating with Guangdong Modern Dance Company, An African Walk in the Land of China (2015) attempts to explore the encounter of an African woman with Chinese workers in urban China in the age of “ChinAfrica.” In this work, the co-directors create a “duet” between an ensemble of Chinese dancers portrayed as blue-collar workers and a black female dancer depicted as a woman from an unspecified country in Africa. In my analysis, I juxtapose choreographic and cinematic representations of the African woman and Chinese workers with the complex social reality of their diverse experiences of encounters. Resisting any singular reading, the dance film provokes questions and stirs up reflections about the ever-intensifying interactions between Chinese and Africans at economic, political and cultural levels operating under global capitalism. This seemingly detached approach, while offering opportunities for multiple readings of the film, also glosses over the complexity of the very ideas of Africans and Chinese as well as their transnational encounters. The gap between the filmic representation and reality unveils the directors’ reductionistic approach to representing ethnic figures and their experiences of each other on screen, indicating a persistent but well-masked colonial gaze.

Migrants on exhibition: The emergence of migrant worker museums in China as a neoliberal experiment on governance

ABSTRACTThis article develops a critical investigation of the recent emergence of migrant worker museums (MWMs) in Chinese cities. Though studies on migrant workers in urban China have examined in detail the state and popular discourses that construct migrants as uncivilized and inferior, limited attention has been dedicated to a more recent line of discursive formulation, which idealizes and romanticizes migrant workers as docile, hard-working subjects making laudable contribution to the development of postreform urban China. The MWMs are built in accord with such new discourses. With a detailed analysis of the MWMs in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, this article argues that MWMs depoliticize both the domains of labor and everyday life and render invisible exploitative labor relations by eulogizing migrant labor; advocating enterprising, self-reliant migrant subjects; and praising the generous care of the state. Hence, though the MWMs contribute to reversing the negative stereotypes of migrant workers, they can nonetheless be theorized as a neoliberal experiment on the governance of people and labor.

New Trends in Internal Migration in China: Profiles of the New‐generation Migrants

AbstractThree decades since the first wave of rural–urban migration, the new generation of migrant workers has become the main force of internal migration in China. The present paper comprehensively explores the profiles of the new generation of migrant workers in urban China. We find that the “new generation” migrants are more educated and skilled, and are likely to work in manufacturing and service industries than in the construction industry. Moreover, they tend to allocate more time to non‐farm activities and have more months away from home per year in urban areas. In contrast to their predecessors, they tend to migrate to urban areas with their spouses, consume more in urban areas and send less money back home. Our findings suggest that the differences in features between the new generation of rural migrants and urban residents have become smaller and the integration of rural migrants into urban China has taken place gradually.

Gender, Low-Paid Status, and Time Poverty in Urban China

ABSTRACTUsing synthetic data from the 2008 China Time Use Survey (CTUS) and the 2008 China Household Income Project (CHIP), this study estimates time-poverty rates and compares the profiles of time-poor men and women workers in urban China. In line with previous research, time poverty is defined as a lack of enough time for rest and leisure. Three time-poverty measures are adopted. By all three measures, women paid workers and low-paid workers account for a disproportionate share of the time poor. Regression analysis further shows that, other things being equal, workers who are women, low-paid, married, and who live with children or the elderly in counties with higher overtime rates and lower minimum wage standards are more likely to be time poor. Simulations indicate that enforcing working time regulations and raising minimum wage standards could be effective for reducing time poverty.

Should the poor have no medicines to cure? A study on the association between social class and social security among the rural migrant workers in urban China

BackgroundThe rampant urbanization and medical marketization in China have resulted in increased vulnerabilities to health and socioeconomic disparities among the rural migrant workers in urban China. In the Chinese context, the socioeconomic characteristics of rural migrant workers have attracted considerable research attention in the recent past years. However, to date, no previous studies have explored the association between the socioeconomic factors and social security among the rural migrant workers in urban China. This study aims to explore the association between socioeconomic inequity and social security inequity and the subsequent associations with medical inequity and reimbursement rejection.MethodsData from a regionally representative sample of 2009 Survey of Migrant Workers in Pearl River Delta in China were used for analyses. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the impacts of socioeconomic factors on the eight dimensions of social security (sick pay, paid leave, maternity pay, medical insurance, pension insurance, occupational injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance) and the impacts of social security on medical reimbursement rejection. The zero-inflated negative binomial regression model (ZINB regression) was adopted to explore the relationship between socioeconomic factors and hospital visits among the rural migrant workers with social security.ResultsThe study population consisted of 848 rural migrant workers with high income who were young and middle-aged, low-educated, and covered by social security. Reimbursement rejection and abusive supervision for the rural migrant workers were observed. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between socioeconomic factors and social security. ZINB regression showed that there were significant associations between socioeconomic factors and hospital visits among the rural migrant workers. Also, several dimensions of social security had significant associations with reimbursement rejections.ConclusionsThis study showed that social security inequity, medical inequity, and reimbursement inequity happened to the rural migrant workers simultaneously. Future policy should strengthen health justice and enterprises’ medical responsibilities to the employed rural migrant workers.

Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Cognitive Skills: Evidence From an Unsleeping Giant.

This study analyzes the effects of sleep duration on cognitive skills and depression symptoms of older workers in urban China. Cognitive skills and mental health have been associated with sleep duration and are known to be strongly related to economic behavior and performance. However, causal evidence is lacking, and little is known about sleep deprivation in developing countries. We exploit the relationship between circadian rhythms and bedtime to identify the effects of sleep using sunset time as an instrument. Using the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we show that a later sunset time significantly reduces sleep duration and that sleep duration increases cognitive skills and eases depression symptoms of workers aged 45 years and older. The results are driven by employed individuals living in urban areas, who are more likely to be constrained by rigid work schedules. We find no evidence of significant effects on the self-employed, non-employed, or farmers.

Examining how dependence on smartphones at work relates to Chinese employees’ workplace social capital, job performance, and smartphone addiction

This research examines how dependence on smartphones for various goals at work, such as understanding, orientation, and communication, relates to employees’ job performance, workplace social capital, and smartphone addiction. Data were collected from a survey of 527 workers in urban China. Regression results indicated that dependence on smartphones for understanding and communication at work has no influence on individuals’ job performance. Only dependence on smartphones for orientation was positively associated with their job performance. Dependence on smartphones for communication has positive association with employees’ workplace social capital. Most interestingly, we found that dependence on smartphones for understanding and orientation was positively associated with smartphone addiction; however, dependence on smartphones for communication has no influence on smartphone addiction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Earnings Premium in State Jobs Across Urban China

Using the Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) data, we find a 30 percent raw differential in earnings in favor of state workers in 2002. We examine the degree to which this differential is a pure premium by using a Heckman two-step selection model, where we instrument workers’ preference for state jobs with family political connections, among other factors. We find that 22 percent of the observed earnings differential is a pure premium to a worker in a state job in urban China. In the absence of a political transition in China, state jobs remained the privileged constituency in a dual-track transition that attracted the best politically connected workers in urban China and offered them a pure earnings premium.

The Plight of Rural Migrant Workers in Urban China

Manufacturing opportunities in urban China have led to the mass migration of over 270 million rural residents to urban areas. We investigate the resulting upheaval in Chinese society using a macromarketing framework, especially the effect on the family unit. A qualitative study of 34 adult migrants in Shanghai is used to put a human face on the challenges faced by those distant from their families of origin (and in many cases their own children) and yet ostracized by most of those in urban society.

Occupational segregation and earnings inequality: Rural migrants and local workers in urban China

This article examines the central role of occupation as the “reward packages” in creating earnings disparities between rural migrants and local workers in urban China’s labor markets. Analyses of data from the population mini-census of China in 2005 show that, rural migrants’ earnings disadvantages are largely attributable to occupational segregation (between-occupation variation) by workers’ household registration status (hukou) rather than unequal pay within the same occupations, but surprisingly they enjoy a slight earnings advantage in lower-status occupations (within-occupation variation). Even after controlling for education and other characteristics, occupational segregation by hukou status continues to exist. The occupational segregation is the most severe in government agencies/state institutions and the least severe in the private sector, leading to earnings disparities between rural migrants and urban local workers in different work unit sectors. Our findings shed new light on how government discriminatory policies could affect occupational segregation and thereby create inequality among social groups in urban China.

Food consumption of outgoing rural migrant workers in urban area of China: a QUAIDS approach

Purpose In the process of economic development and urbanization, it is important to capture the outgoing rural migrant workers’ food consumption characteristics for ensuring China’s future food security. The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the structural characteristics in food consumption demand of outgoing rural migrant workers. Design/methodology/approach The food consumption of rural migrant workers is estimated using a quaids approach by the GMM estimator to reveal the determinants of the food consumption of outgoing rural migrant workers in urban China based on a sample of 876 of outgoing rural migrant workers from the 2007-2009 household survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Findings The results show that the GMM estimator is consistent compared with the SUR estimator; the conditional expenditure elasticities of grain foods, livestock products, edible oils and vegetables by outgoing rural migrant workers are0.877, 1.081, 0.787 and 0.958, respectively; the unconditional expenditure elasticities of grain foods, livestock products, edible oils and vegetables are 0.634, 0.782, 0.569 and 0.693, respectively; the conditional Marshallian own-price elasticities of grain foods, livestock products, edible oils, and vegetables are -1.004, -1.019, -0.645 and -1.021, respectively. Practical implications First, the differences in food consuming patterns between rural residents and outgoing rural migrant workers should be emphasized in ensuring China’s food security for the policymakers. Second, how to ensure the supply for the increase in the consumption demand of livestock products in urban areas should be a major focus of China’s food security strategy. Originality/value 876 households of outgoing rural migrant worker from the 2007-2009 household survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China are used; compared the GMM estimator with the SUR estimator in the estimate of the QUAIDS model; it sheds light on the structural characteristics in food consumption demand of outgoing rural migrant workers.

Case Study of Integrated Prefab Accommodations System for Migrant On-Site Construction Workers in China

AbstractSerious labor shortages in the construction industry have emerged in China in recent years. This has led to a significant need for the industry to improve the poor accommodations and inferior conditions of living quarters for migrant workers by applying both technical and management methods. In order to address the problem of improving the accommodations for rural migrant construction workers in urban China, this paper uses modular construction technology to develop an innovative integrated prefabricated (prefab) accommodation system for construction workers on site. The current status of the traditional construction workers’ quarters is investigated to reveal the most urgent problems in terms of health, safety, and environmental considerations. By analyzing barriers that block innovation to improved workers’ quarters, the integrated prefab accommodation system is proposed in detail, with the quarters’ design and operational management mode taken into account. The developed system can provide more...

Ethnic enclaves revisited: Effects on earnings of migrant workers in China

Among rural-to-urban migrants, migrant workers from the same origins tend to concentrate in the same workplaces. When this concentration in a workplace is sufficiently dense, we may consider it a native-place enclave. According to a large literature on U.S. immigrants, enclave participation may improve the economic well-being of immigrants. This study borrows the same reasoning to evaluate whether or not working in a native-place enclave affects earnings of migrant workers in urban China. We pay particular attention to heterogeneity not only in how migrants who work in an enclave may differ from those who choose to work in the open economy but also in varying earnings returns to enclave participation across different groups of migrant workers. Using data from a 2010 survey of migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangzi River Delta, we match enclave workers and non-enclave workers with the same propensity to work in an enclave and then compare their earnings differences. We find a positive average earnings return to enclave participation, although this effect is smaller than that resulting from a naïve comparison. Moreover, we find that migrants with a high propensity to work in an enclave benefit more from enclave participation than those with a low propensity. Our findings generally support the enclave thesis and its role in internal migration in China.