BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhuanet) -- China's population of floating migrant workers reached a record 211 million by 2009 and will hit 350 million by 2050 if government policies remain unchanged, according to a report released on Saturday.
The number, however, could increase at a slower rate if the number of new workers joining the migrant population continues to fall each year.
By 2050, only about 3 million are estimated to join the migrant population each year - a number in stark contrast to the current 6 million new people who join the migrant work force each year. The report on the development of China's floating population is the first of its kind released by the National Population and Family Planning Commission and will be updated each year in the future.
"The migration of the people, be they domestic or international, help drive the nation's development, and therefore they should be protected based on law," said Thomas Sinkovits, the China representative of the International Organization for Migration, at the report launch.
Also, the rights of the floating population should be highly respected and should be the same as the locals, he said.
