Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Rural Labor Migration in China: Evidence from the Migration Stability under New-type Urbanization

Although the factors affecting rural-to-urban migration have been discussed and analyzed in detail, few studies have examined the spatiotemporal dynamic characteristics of rural migrants’ employment and working-cities in the post-immigrate era, which is essential for the citizenization and social integration of new-type urbanization in China. This study uses survey data from rural migration laborers across the eastern, central, and western China to construct a comprehensive labor migration stability index, and compares the determinants of the migration stability of rural labor among cities and industries using Geodetector. The results are as follows: 1) Compared with the midwestern cities, eastern cities have attracted younger and more skilled rural labor, and industries with higher technical content have higher migration stability among rural laborers. 2) Rural laborers more often adapt to changes by changing employment instead of changing working-cities. 3) The individual experiences of rural laborers and urban characteristics have significant impacts on the stability of migration, and family and societal guanxi(Chinese interpersonal relationships) enhance migration stability. 4) A unified labor market and convenient transportation have somewhat slowed industrial transfers and labor backflow. This study enhances our understanding of the roles of industrial transfer and new-type urbanization in shaping the labor geography landscape and provides policy implications for the promotion of people-oriented urbanization.

Relationship between Migration and HIV Risky Behavior: a Comparative Study of Returning Migrants and Non Migrants Based on Rural Out-of-school Youth in Jilin, China

Objective To estimate the relationship between migration and HIV risky behavior when controlling for gender, age, and educational levels and to evaluate the gender differences in migration, HIV knowledge, and HIV risky behaviors among rural youth in China. Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous, investigative questionnaire for 1710 unmarried, out-of-school rural youth, aged between 15 and 24 years, was handed out in Gongzhuling county of Jilin province, China. Results 58.5% of participants had a history of migration, irrespective of gender. There were gender differences observed in other factors such as drug abuse（4.3% for males and 5.5% for females, P〈0.01）, multiple sexual partners（24.1% for males and 44.1% for females, P〈0.01）, and HIV knowledge rate（35.2% for males and 25.5% for females, P〈0.001）. While controlling for gender, age, and educational levels, the relationships between migration and drug abuse, selling sex, and non usage of condoms during last instance of sexual activity were found to be significant. The cases of premarital sex and multiple sexual partners were both not found to be related to migration. Conclusion Among rural youth, the HIV risky behavior such as drug abuse, selling sex, and lack of condom use, is significantly related to migration, while premarital sex and multiple sexual partners seem unrelated to migration.

Rural-urban Migration,Rural Household Income and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas of China

The objective of this paper is to investigate the rela- tionships among rural-urban migration,rural household income and sustainable development in rural areas of China.The typical case study is done and 288 questionnaires are collected from five villages in Hebei and Guangxi provinces,China.The migration and remittance status,household income and sustainable devel- opment of rural areas are analyzed on the basis of questionnaires. Rural-urban migration is becoming a part of routine life in rural areas.And remittance is an important component in rural house- hold income.Rural-urban migration increases the arable land area per labor,which releases the tight human-land relationship in villages.In total,the migration increases the rural household in- come and accelerates the sustainable development of rural areas.

Rural vulnerability,migration,and relocation in mountain areas of Western China:An overview of key issues and policy interventions

Western China features a vast area of mountains and high plateaus where millions of people,including diverse ethnic minority groups,have inhabited for generations.Geographically located in the mountainous,remote,and isolated regions,rural communities are prone to natural hazards and thus become vulnerable to impoverishment.To reduce rural vulnerability,many people residing in mountainous villages opted to out-migrate from their original villages and hometowns while some took in-situ adaptation measures.A host of government-sponsored resettlement programs have been carried out to help rural villagers seek alternative livelihoods elsewhere over the past four decades.To achieve a sustainable future for rural communities in mountainous areas of western China,more effective policies and measures need to be developed and enforced.

The effect of rural labor migration on poverty alleviation:a village-level study in China

The construction of the new socialist countryside is being carried out in China nowadays. Although lots of successful experience has been gotten, different problems occur in various regions yet. To analyze the relationships among rural labor migration, poverty alleviation and characteristics of migrants is important in considering the effect of rural labor migration on the construction of the new. socialist countryside, Available sampling and typical case study are adopted and 236 questionnaires are collected from four villages in northwest GuangxL China, Daxin, Lixin, Longhe and Yongehang, We analyze the rural labor migration status, characteristics of migrants, remittance situation and income, household income and the ratio of remittance income to total household income. About 2/3 of the households have migrants in surveyed villages. And nearly half of the migration households have only one family member as migrants in the four villages. The migrants mainly comprise male and the younger, with the education level of junior middle school and higher More than half of the migrants are employed in Guangdong Province. But the characteristics of migrants in Yongchang are more diverse. The rural labor migration in the village is extremely active and extensive. And over 60% of the household with family members as migrants have remittance income. The rate in Yongchang is extremely high （80%）, And the income of households with migrants getting remittance income is significantly higher than their counterparts. More than half of their income comes from remittance as far as the former kind of household is concerned And in Yongchang, the rate is nearly 80%. The conclusion is that rural labor migration is popular and extensive in lots of villages. And the migration and remittance play an important role in rural household income, especially in some poor villages. For this kind of village, the rural labor migration may be some ＂compulsory course＂ in rural development. And the rural labor emigration is an essential way in poverty alleviation. This is the first step in the construction of the new socialist countryside.

Economic Growth, Demographic Change and Rural-Urban Migration in China

Is China able to maintain fast growth after three decades？ This paper tries to answer this question by： 1） arguing that factors contributed to sustained long-run growth at supply side;2） focusing on contributions of demographic dividend especially that of rural-urban migration;and 3） analyzing rural demographic change with information collected through village-wide household survey.Policy alternatives to realize remaining potential demographic dividend are proposed based on the analysis of changing rural demographic structure.

Rural Women Transfer from the Perspective of Family Migration

At first,this article gives an overview of previous researches on family migration,the pulling force and drag force of the rural residents' behavior of going out. On the basis of questionnaire survey of rural woman's behavior of going out in Anhui Province,conducted in early 2011,this article studies the pulling force and drag force of rural woman's behavior of going out,their will to settle in the city,and the obstacles to settlement. Finally,I derive three pulling forces of rural woman's behavior of going out,and three major factors influencing settlement in city.

Can Labor Out-Migration Reduce Firewood Consumption by Rural Households in Western Mountainous China

The relationship between out-migration of labor in the Qinling mountain area and households' firewood consumption is explored. Migration and remittances reduce households' firewood consumption due to increases in both income and opportunity cost of firewood collection. Previous studies have been equivocal because they ignored uncertainty in household economy, which is widespread in forest areas of less developed countries. This study provides additional insight by considering vulnerability and subjective assessment of poverty generated by unstable income and an uncertain future. We provide evidence that the amount of firewood consumed depends on income and opportunity cost of firewood collection, but also on a prudent consumption strategy, due to farmers' subjective assessment of their future possible poverty. We also find out-migration of labor can reduce per capita firewood consumption but subjective poverty also acts against reduction of firewood consumption.

The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and Its Implications on Rural Labor Migration in China：Evidence from Longitudinal Surveys

In 2003, China initiated the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme （NRCMS） in order to provide basic health care coverage for the rural population. However, the NRCMS has had a marked impact on rural-urban labor migration as its current regulations present a barrier for cross-region participation in the NRCMS, and its reimbursement system is biased when the enrollees seek medical services outside their location of hukou, a household registration system in China. This paper performs a variety of empirical tests on a panel data set from the China Health and Nutrition Survey （CHNS） to study how the NRCMS affects rural residents＇ work location choices. We observed a ＂locking effect＂ on potential rural migrant workers and a ＂pulling effect＂ on existing ones. According to the results, the NRCMS has discouraged rural residents from working outside their location of hukou, lowering the probability of relocation by 3.52 percent. Meanwhile, the NRCMS system actually encourages existing migrant workers to return home. This paper concludes that the NRCMS has to some extent restrained the free flow of the labor force and exacerbated the migrant worker shortage.

The pull of inter-provincial migration of rural labor force and its influence on policy-making

As a social phenomenon closely related to development of economy, the population is always the focis of economists＇ attention. Based on the fifth census in 2001, this paper analyzes labor migration in Hubet Provtnce and establishes an econometric model to analyze the pull according to the push and pull theory,, which is the famous theory on the population flow and migration. It points out that the per capita consumption and the employment rate attract strongly the rural labors and makes a deep exploration into the ensuing problems. Such conclusion is a special reference to the decision-making of government. The government can provide some guidance to the rural labors according to the per capita consumption and the employment rate in order to avoid the futility of blind migration.

International Seminar on Labour Migration in Rural China

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The future of mountain agriculture amidst continual farm-exit, livelihood diversification and outmigration in the Central Himalayan villages

Agrarian patterns in mountain ecosystems have seen a considerable change in the past decades with a vast proportion of the population abandoning traditional agriculture and diversifying their livelihood options, primarily through out-migration. This trend is especially common amongst the subsistence based family-farming communities in developing countries. This study aims at assessing methods of livelihood diversification and factors influencing farm-exit in Central Himalayan villages of Uttarakhand, India, while trying to understand local perspectives on challenges in pursuing agriculture as a viable livelihood option. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from 951 households across 60 villages evenly distributed across six hill districts of Uttarakhand, using key-person interviews and household surveys. The results of the study highlight that farm-exit is significantly influenced by livelihood diversification, number of migrants, number of female family members, and availability of irrigation facilities. In general, perception of the respondents towards agriculture as a viable livelihood option is rather unenthusiastic, with 87% of the respondents citing human wildlife conflict as the main challenge in pursuing farming, amongst several other challenges. Diversification is an integral component of present rural economy with 80.13% of the total population dependent on more than one source of income, to maintain their livelihoods. However, there is no statistically significant influence of livelihood diversification on annual income of the household. If agro-based entrepreneurial ventures are to be promoted in the region there is an urgent need for timely introduction of radical policy, institutional, and land-reforms. Economic uplifting of the local population through such efforts can also be a possible solution to the growing trends of out-migration in the state.

The Impact of Education Input on Labor Migration and Inequality in China

By introducing a general equilibrium framework to China's dual economic structure, this paper studies the microscopic mechanism of education input to narrow the urban-rural income gap and how to improve the allocation efficiency of education funds in China's "new normal" economy. The empirical analysis results show that education input is effective in narrowing the urban-rural income gap and achieving a Pareto improvement state in both direct and indirect ways. However, the effect of education input at different stages varies. In particular, the impact of compulsory education on improving inequality is more significant than the other education levels. With adjustment for the macroeconomic slowdown, raising fiscal expenditures on education can improve potential economic growth by promoting human capital accumulation and labor productivity in the long run. In all, education input can promote labor migration and narrow the urban-rural income gap, which is conducive to alleviating the contradiction of the structural transformation lag in employment and achieving inclusive growth targets.

Changing mountain farmscapes: vulnerability and migration drivers in the Paute River watershed,Southern Ecuador

Abrupt changes in land use/land cover have often characterized Andean rural landscapes.This is particularly notorious in the Paute River watershed in southern Ecuador.We seek to show how,under tenets of the global economy,rural mountain landscapes suffer constant modifications due to the agricultural practices of dwellers and migrants.Erosion of arable slopes takes center stage in analyzing vulnerability due to the high erodibility factor found in this watershed.By using remote sensing and GIS applications,we analyzed the potential erodibility with intersections of rural development constraining of ecosystem services,including the production of water,food,and cultural values in the Paute River watershed.We found six sources of migratory flows and analyzed topographic and elevation effects in potential erodibility indexes of agroecological options to ameliorate the environmental stress.We identified factors associated with migration trends observed in the area and assessed vulnerability issues of resource management that could prevent deforestation,soil erosion,and acculturation amidst the pressures of development in the region.We conclude that sustainable development options can be implemented with a watershed management approach oriented to diminish emigration.This approach shall be integrative,inclusive,and respectful of the rich biocultural diversity heritage conservation of southern Ecuador.

Government Should Adopt Policies Favouring Rural Migrants

Based on a systematic analysis of the development trends of Chinese rural migrant workers, this article has designed a model representing the flow of migrant workers from rural to urban areas, and the patterns of urban settlement. The significant factors contributing to the problems of migrant workers are assessed and suggestions for improvement put forward. This article concludes that the rural migrant worker problem is attributable to institutional set-up and strategy and will continue for the entire process of China's modernization. It is estimated that modernization will be realized in about 2050, at which time the rural-urban migration process will also be completed. To solve the problems of migrant workers, a comprehensive strategy of balanced development between urban and rural areas should be carried out, featuring industry's support of agriculture and urban support of rural areas. Furthermore, the urban-rural dual structure should be gradually eliminated through institutional reform and policy innovation. The principles of equality, humanity and fair treatment for both urban and rural populations should be sought.

Study on the Quantity and Age Structure of Rural Surplus Labor Force in China

Based on the data from the Second National Agriculture Census in 2006, this paper analyzed the absolute quantity and age structure of China rural surplus labor force by the classical approach. It showed that the migration of rural labor force was still far away from ＂Lewis turning point＂, and ＂mingong huang＂ （ shortage of peasant workforce） appearing in coastal areas could be explained with the location separation between the labor-intensive industries and rural labor force. It was a feasible and an effective way to push forward the transfer of labor-intensive industries from the east coast to central and Western China to absorb the abundant supply of rural labor force.

Regional Developmental Problems of the Rural Settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The paper considers developmental problems of the rural settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are results of long-term disparity in the regional development in the period 1991-2012. In this paper it is considered the recent migration from rural to urban areas and the depopulation of the rural areas. The result of these trends reflects the development of the new infrastructure and tertiary activities. In these investigations, statistical data processed and geovisualised in GIS were used. The obtained data indicate extremely unequable regional arrangement of the population in the rural areas and socio-economic development.

Migrant Laborers in China and Their Contributions to Rural Development

This paper will look at the importance that the migrant labors in China are doing today. The main question posed in this paper is “how migrant labors in China are contributing to rural development？”. Furthermore, the paper will answer the following sub-questions： （1） Is migration an important factor in the development of rural areas？ （2） Can migration bridge the poverty gap between urban and rural areas？ The objectives of this paper are the following： （1） to identify the migrant labors contributions in China’s rural development; （2） to look into the importance of migration for the rural Chinese; and （3） to know and analyze the problems that migrant workers in China are facing in relation to their migratory work. Furthermore, this paper posits that migrant labors in China are contributing to rural development through their remittances, their investments, and the new knowledge and techniques that they acquired in the urban areas which they share in their home areas. In addition to that, this research looks at the migrant labors’ remittances, their investments, and the new knowledge and techniques that they acquired in their home areas as their contributions to rural development.

Wage Levels of Rural Migrant Workers in China during 1979-2010： Estimates and Trends

Studies on long-term wage levels of rural migrant workers are rarely found in relevant literature. On the basis of systematic collection of statistical data, this paper gives a quantitative estimation of the wage level of rural migrant workers in China and its evolution following pro market reforms since 1978. Results indicate that over the past 30 years, the nominal monetary wage of migrant workers maintained a 10% average annual increase. Real wage levels adjusted by the consumer price index （CPI） experienced three stages of evolution： initially, migrant workers earned a higher average monetary salary than formal employees, whereas this situation reversed in later stages.