BEIJING, Jan. 7 -- An increasing number of migrant
workers consider themselves urban residents after improvements in their standard
of living, and fewer of them have moved back to rural areas, according to a
report released Wednesday by Global Call to Action Against Poverty in China.
The report studied the income, social security, and
the training of 2,600 migrant workers in Beijing, as well as in Guangxi, Anhui,
Sichuan, Guansu and Hubei provinces.
The report was co-written by Fan Lei, an assistant
professor with the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences (CASS).
Some 8.27 percent of migrant workers who have
purchased commercial houses in towns or counties identify themselves as urban
residents, while 1.8 percent of those who have no property shared the same
identity, the report said.
"Though the figures can't represent the overall
situation in China, it reveals that migrant workers obtain a sense of identity
by improved living conditions, not by certain policies," Fan told the Global
Times Wednesday .
Fan said the research showed an increase in migrant
workers moving to cities in hopes of becoming urban dwellers instead of making
"instant money."
"The government is responsible for providing equal
opportunities when migrant workers wish to move to cities," said Wang Chunguang,
another researcher at CASS.
The average monthly salary of migrant workers in big
cities has risen from 100 to 200 yuan (14¨C28 U.S. dollars) in the late 1970s to
1000 - 1100 yuan (146¨C161 U.S. dollars) in 2008, the report said.
Meanwhile, representatives from 32 NGOs discussed how
they might better help the workers to get benefits from supporting policies.
Mao Yushi, an economist, called for the government
release of employment rates along with the GDP.
(Source: Global Times)
