2006 - Face-to-Face with Theoretical Hot Topics - Popular Theoretical Reading Series No. 4

Author: Theory Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Behind the "Wave of Migrant Workers" and the "Shortage of Migrant Workers" – How to Properly View the Migrant Worker Issue
Since the late 1980s of the 20th century, a vast wave of population movement has occurred in China around the Spring Festival every year, putting tremendous pressure on railways, highways, and other transportation systems, creating a highly busy cyclical phenomenon known as the "Spring Festival Travel Rush." The main component of this wave is migrant workers returning home and to the cities. This phenomenon is referred to as the "Wave of Migrant Workers." However, after people have become accustomed to the rise and fall of this "wave" for over a decade, a "Shortage of Migrant Workers" phenomenon has emerged in recent years: in 2005 and 2006, after the Spring Festival, "labor shortages" became a practical issue faced by some enterprises in coastal areas. The "Wave of Migrant Workers" has now given rise to a "Shortage of Migrant Workers," which reflects, to some extent, the deep-seated issues of migrant workers. What are the main manifestations of the migrant worker issue at present? Migrant workers primarily refer to laborers whose household registration remains in rural areas, who work in cities or engage in non-agricultural industries locally or elsewhere. Migrant workers are a unique social phenomenon that emerged during China's process of industrialization and urbanization. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, with the deepening of rural reforms, farmers' production enthusiasm was greatly stimulated, and agricultural labor productivity continued to improve. More and more farmers have shifted away from agricultural land. At the same time, with the advancement of reform and opening-up, a large number of foreign-funded enterprises were established, township and private enterprises rapidly developed, creating numerous non-agricultural employment opportunities and driving waves of farmers to work in cities. Currently, the total number of migrant workers in China exceeds 200 million, with approximately 120 million working in cities. Migrant workers have made positive contributions to promoting China's economic and social development. They have increased income in rural areas, created wealth in cities, injected vitality into urban-rural development, and promoted the formation of a market-oriented, self-employment, and competitive employment mechanism. They have also blazed a new path for integrated urban-rural development and solving the "three rural" issues. The facts show that migrant workers are an indispensable new labor force. However, on the other hand, the large number of migrant workers presents some issues that need to be addressed, whether in terms of their cultural literacy, skill levels, living conditions, or the guidance, management, and services provided by the government and society. The Party and the State have always attached great importance to the migrant worker issue, formulating a series of policies and measures to protect the rights and interests of migrant workers and improve their employment environment. Various regions and departments have also carried out substantial work, achieving positive results. However, from the current situation, the issues faced by migrant workers remain prominent. First, migrant workers' wages have been low for a long time, and wage arrears are quite common. For a long time, in some regions, migrant workers' wages have hardly changed, and even when increases did occur, they were minimal and did not keep pace with inflation. In recent years, although efforts to clear migrant workers' wage arrears have been intensified across the country, wage arrears still occur frequently. According to statistics from relevant authorities, the total amount of unpaid wages for migrant workers in China is still as high as 100 billion yuan, with construction enterprises accounting for 72.2% of wage arrears, and only 6% of migrant workers receiving their wages on a monthly basis. The direct cause of the "Shortage of Migrant Workers" in some parts of the country and industries is the excessively low wages offered by enterprises. Second, working conditions are poor, technical training is scarce, occupational diseases and work-related accidents are frequent, and social security is lacking. P161-164