Migrant workers in China: a general survey

本文通过对相关实证研究文献的疏理， 从农民工总量规模、结构分布、对输出地贡献和对输入地影响四个方面对中国农民工的总体性状况进行了描述与分析。在总量规模的分析中， 我们需要注意各调查的统计口径， 值得注意的是， 根据最新发布的农普调查数据， 农村外出从业劳动力已达1.3亿， 此处数据不含随外出从业劳动力外出的非劳动力人口。外出务工经商者以初中文化的青壮年为主， 行业分布以制造业、建筑业和服务业为主， 长距离迁移占很高比例。农民工跨区域转移这种就业结构变动对我国经济增长贡献巨大， 已有研究估计对GDP增量贡献在20%左右。从输出地来看， 总的影响是积极的， 特别是收入状况的改善， 但也留下了数量庞大的留守族。 Based on a study of the empirical research literature, this paper presents us with a panoramic picture of migrant workers in China covering their numbers, their structural distribution, their contribution to labor export areas and their impact on labor import areas. Within the total analysis, attention should be paid to the different statistical specifications used in different surveys to estimate the size of the rural migrant population. What is noteworthy is that the number of rural migrant workers has reached 130 million according to the latest agricultural census. The non‐working population migrating with migrant workers are not counted in such data. Those who migrate to seek work or run a business are mainly young people with an educational background of junior high school; they are mainly employed in manufacturing, construction and service industries. A large proportion of them have traveled a long distance. Studies have shown that the structural transformation of employment brought about by the cross‐regional migration of rural migrant workers has made a huge contribution (estimated at around 20%) to China's economic growth. While such migrations have positive effects on labor export areas overall, particularly in terms of income, they also have left behind a large population of uncared‐for children and old people.