Living Conditions of Migrants in Inland Chinese Cities

Rural to urban migration has made an important contribution to the urban economic development in China over the last two decades. General features of migrants, particularly those found in the fast growing coastal regions, had been a major research focus in the last few years. This paper examines the living conditions of migrants found in inland Chinese cities. It uses household data collected in 2000 to examine the relationship between housing, employment and income of migrants. It also addresses questions such as how different were the living conditions of migrants from other low-income urban residents? Were living conditions of migrants improving over the time? The paper concluded that not all migrants in China were “floating” or “temporary” residents. Some of them had been in the city for many years. However, their living and working conditions remained very poor. Government policies were major barriers for the integration of migrants with local residents. A more supportive approach is required to ensure the social and economic progress among the migrant population.