About 120 million rural migrant workers are employed in major urban areas in China, and if rural labourers working in towns and townships are included, the total number of rural migrant workers who have left home to find employment should be about 200 million, according to a survey released by the Research Office of the State Council in late March.

The survey was conducted in 11 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Shandong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Henan and Ningxia, over a period of ten months in 2005. According to the survey, rural migrant workers [Note 1] account for about 58 percent of the total number of employees in China's industries and the construction sector. The survey showed that 68 percent of employees in manufacturing are rural migrant workers, and 80 percent of those working in the construction sector are rural migrants.

In the services sector, the number of rural migrants has reached 52 percent of the total workforce.

A breakdown of rural migrant workers shows 66.3 percent are men and 33.7 percent women; 61 percent of them are between the ages of 16 and 30; 23 percent are between 31 and 40; and 16 percent are over the age of 41. The average age of a migrant worker is 28.6 years old, it said.

According to the survey, the general employment situation of rural migrants is generally poor. Most workers, or 60.37 percent, found their jobs with the help of friends and relatives; 14.2 percent found work through employment agencies; and 12.1 percent found their jobs themselves.

The income of rural migrant workers is low, usually between 500 and 800 yuan a month. Those who earn less than 300 yuan a month account for 3.58 percent; 29.26 percent receive a monthly salary of 300 to 500 yuan; 39.26 percent get 500 to 800 yuan; and 27.9 percent more than 800 yuan per month.

The survey showed that 60.37 percent of all migrants receive their salary on a monthly basis; and 28.02 percent on a yearly basis. Only 47.78 percent are paid on time, while 35.68 percent sometimes have their wages delayed and 15.68 percent always receive their pay late.

As for labour contracts, only 53.7 percent have signed labour contracts with their employers; 30.62 percent have yet to sign a labour contract; and 15.68 percent don't know what a labour contract is.

Only 13.7 percent work less than eight hours a day; 40.3 percent work eight to nine hours each day; 23.48 percent work for nine to 10 hours per day; and 22.5 percent work for more than 10 hours each day.

The report also concluded that there was a serious lack of funding for local governments to provide enough training for rural migrant workers, and privately-held companies also generally have not provided their employees with training as required by law.

Source: Xinhua News Agency (16 April 2006)

19 April 2006

[1]Every household in China is given one of two designations, rural or urban. Every member of the household will carry their designation on their national identity card. Rural residents are usually entitled to some farmland. Urban residents are not. One must apply to change one's individual or household designation; and if one is a rural resident one must also apply for a work permit in order to work in an urban area.