Migration and Labor Mobility in China

Abstract

China has witnessed the largest labor migration since the reform and opening up policies were implemented. According to the most recent statistics, the total number of rural to urban migrant workers reached 136 million. Migrants are defined as persons who have left out of township for\nmore than 6 months. The migration flow has propelled the economic and societal transition in\nChina through labor productivity enhancement and social restructuring. Accordingly, the\nChinese government has improved the migration policies with increasing migration flow and the\nchanges of labor market situations. This report is organized as follows. Section one briefly\nintroduces when and how the migration started by reviewing the history, size and trend, impacts\nof migration in China and the vulnerability of migrants. Section two reviews the main migration\npolicy changes in the past three decades. Section three illuminates the Lewisian turning point that\nmarks economic development and transitioning in China. Section four discusses the relevance of\nChina’s experiences to other developing economies in terms of economic development and\nmigration policy changes.