10 crucial issues concerning new migrant workers
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Migrant workers have to be accepted as city residents:
The failure of the French government to smoothly assimilate African and Arab immigrants caused social unrest. China should learn from France's experience.
According to China Youth and Children Research Center (CYCRC), the crime rate of young migrant workers has risen in recent years. About 70.4 percent of those workers did not have a stable job when they committed their crimes, and nearly 69 percent said they broke the law on impulse. Unlike the older generation, young migrant workers are unwilling to go back to their hometowns. Therefore, their poor living conditions and lack of education pose a great threat to social stability.
If cities can help migrant workers adjust to city life, tensions could soon be relieved. It would also enliven the job market and stimulate the development of the real estate market. Similar cases can be seen throughout the immigration histories of America, Canada and Australia, as well as the recent development of Europe.
The phrase "migrant workers" is outdated:
Before making thorough reforms to solve the problems related to social security, medical care, education and housing, the simple method to change the inequality is to stop calling them "migrant workers."
According to Premier Wen Jiabao, the phrase "migrant worker" is obsolete to the new generation moving from rural areas to cities. There are other terms we can use, such as "restaurant servers" or "workers."
Workers need urban social security:
The urban social security system should cover workers who live in cities with stable jobs. The central government has made progress in building up social security funds for those workers and in providing pensions after they retire.
Existing rural security funds are not adaptable or sufficient for the fast-growing needs of workers who must support themselves in the cities after retirement. The government should also solve housing problems, as it is impossible for the workers to afford urban houses with their meager wages.
Workers need enhanced trainings:
As a group, migrant workers lack education. Seven percent are illiterate and no more than 11 percent have ever attended high school. Only 16.4 percent of migrant workers have received professional training. The country should invest more to professionally train migrant workers.
Workers who move from one province to another need residential permits:
Guaranteeing residential permits for migrant workers is a difficult problem. In my opinion, the residential permits issued to workers are related to the construction land quotas of each province. Governments that issue more residential permits to migrant workers should get more land to use.
The author is vice-dean of the Rural and Agricultural Development Institute at Renmin University of China.
(This post was first published in Chinese and translated by Wu Jin.)
