A Future of Multiple Choices

    The financial crisis has again brought attention to the issue of migrant workers. "Of China's 130 million migrant workers, about 15.3 percent will become jobless due to the financial crisis, which means nearly 20 million have to go back to their hometown," said authoritative expert Chen Xiwen, director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work.

    How to help them deal with this problem is the responsibility not only of the government, but also every urban resident. Because the new-generation migrant workers are gradually narrowing the economic and cultural gap between urban and rural areas, they are playing a significant historical role in China's social change.

    China's famous newspaper Southern Weekly suggested appropriate regulations and arrangements be formulated so that migrant workers can share in the country's wealth, and that gaps be bridged through fair education. For instance, establishing relevant social security systems, reforming the household registration system, and enhancing adult education and vocational training would help eliminate discrimination and create a more favorable social environment.

    According to Professor Jian Xinhua from the Economics and Management School of Wuhan University, the urbanization of new-generation migrant workers will be based on the elevation of their professional abilities, which requires significant input from the government. The authorities should not passively sit tight and wait for a business upswing. Both the central and local governments highly value migrant workers and frequently launch measures to help them, such as subsidizing migrant workers who return to their hometown by providing vocational training.

    Meanwhile, China has increased input to agriculture and rural areas, providing better prospects on the rural labor market. According to Professor Dai Bin from the School of Public Administration, Southwest Jiaotong University, one essential character of China's urbanization is the diversion of rural labor into the cities, and consequent labor shortages in the countryside. Thus, in theory, there should be opportunities for migrant workers who return to their hometown. Others believe that new-generation migrant workers are in the prime of their life, so with their urban experiences and knowledge, they will be an "elite" in rural areas. If guided to take part in the construction of the new socialist countryside, their prospects might take on an entirely new look.

    The central government promulgated its first document for this year in February, encouraging migrant workers to do pioneer work as a key task. It included free training, financial services, technical support and a pioneer environment. "The government has stimulated employment by encouraging farmers to start new businesses, actively guiding the fourth pioneering wave since the reform and opening-up, turning more laborers into pioneers," said famous economist Gu Shengyang, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.