After the emergence of a severe labor shortage in 2004, wage levels for rural migrant workers （hereafter referred to as ＂migrant workers ＂） ceased their long time stagnation and began to rise rapidly. This rise ca...After the emergence of a severe labor shortage in 2004, wage levels for rural migrant workers （hereafter referred to as ＂migrant workers ＂） ceased their long time stagnation and began to rise rapidly. This rise can be attributed to various factors, such as demographics, business cycles, policy, and China＇s economic structure. As the wage-setting mechanism for migrant workers changes from traditional minimum wage to negotiated pricing rules subject to the reservation wage, China＇s economy indicates that it is embracing a new era of rapid wage increases. Changes in China＇s income distribution will bring opportunities to the turning point of Kuznets ＂Inverted-U＂ Curve, and allow China to narrow its significant income gap. These changes will transform China＇s economic growth model from one that is export and investment-dependent to one that is driven by domestic consumption.展开更多
This article attempts to examine the effect of the enterprise system and social environment under conditions of market transition on the wages of migrant workers using regression analysis of Pearl River Delta migrant ...This article attempts to examine the effect of the enterprise system and social environment under conditions of market transition on the wages of migrant workers using regression analysis of Pearl River Delta migrant worker survey data. The research found that among human capital variables, educational level and length of employment in their present firms have a significant positive effect on the wages of migrant workers, while age and gender also have a significant effect; among enterprise system variables, the type of work also significantly influences wages, demonstrating clear stratification. Industry, scale and firm type do not significantly influence wages, regardless of labor contract or labor supply status. Social capital variables and social environmental factors do not have a significant effect on peasant-worker wage levels. The article therefore concludes that migrant worker wages are highly marketized and are at one extreme of a segmented dual labor market. They lack intra-firm labor markets and promotion mechanisms, are little influenced by changes in labor market conditions, and show no regional variations. They represent low wages of an extreme rigidity.展开更多
文摘After the emergence of a severe labor shortage in 2004, wage levels for rural migrant workers （hereafter referred to as ＂migrant workers ＂） ceased their long time stagnation and began to rise rapidly. This rise can be attributed to various factors, such as demographics, business cycles, policy, and China＇s economic structure. As the wage-setting mechanism for migrant workers changes from traditional minimum wage to negotiated pricing rules subject to the reservation wage, China＇s economy indicates that it is embracing a new era of rapid wage increases. Changes in China＇s income distribution will bring opportunities to the turning point of Kuznets ＂Inverted-U＂ Curve, and allow China to narrow its significant income gap. These changes will transform China＇s economic growth model from one that is export and investment-dependent to one that is driven by domestic consumption.
文摘This article attempts to examine the effect of the enterprise system and social environment under conditions of market transition on the wages of migrant workers using regression analysis of Pearl River Delta migrant worker survey data. The research found that among human capital variables, educational level and length of employment in their present firms have a significant positive effect on the wages of migrant workers, while age and gender also have a significant effect; among enterprise system variables, the type of work also significantly influences wages, demonstrating clear stratification. Industry, scale and firm type do not significantly influence wages, regardless of labor contract or labor supply status. Social capital variables and social environmental factors do not have a significant effect on peasant-worker wage levels. The article therefore concludes that migrant worker wages are highly marketized and are at one extreme of a segmented dual labor market. They lack intra-firm labor markets and promotion mechanisms, are little influenced by changes in labor market conditions, and show no regional variations. They represent low wages of an extreme rigidity.
