Number of Migrant Workers Declines

The number of people in China listed as migrants – those who have moved from their hometowns to other areas in the country for work – declined to 245 million in 2016, according to the 2017 report on the migrant population from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC).

According to the report released on November 10, the number of migrants had steadily increased from 2011 to 2014, but began to drop in 2015, when the figure declined by around 2.3 percent compared to 2014.

The NHFPC attributed the two-year reduction to reforms to the residence registration system – some migrants obtained a permanent residence permit (hukou) in the city they settled in. Another reason for the decline, according to the NHFPC, stemmed from government policies that encouraged farmers to return to their hometowns.

The report also revealed that more new-generation workers (born in and after the 1980s) are migrating to cities – those aged from 28-37 were 56.5 percent of the total number in 2016, 6.5 percent higher than in 2011. Those aged 18-27 accounted for 18.7 percent, 4.2 percent higher than 2013.

Analysts said the new generation of migrants is better educated than the first generation, having experienced higher education, and this will help promote China's economic growth and industrial upgrade, but since they also have greater expectations for jobs and standards of living, they will also impose new challenges to the social welfare and insurance systems.