Chapter 5: Rising Urban Poverty and Class Discrimination Against Migrant Workers in China

Since the economic reform launched in the late 1970s, China has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction. However, as of 2005, China still had the second largest number of consumption poor in the world after India (World Bank, 2009). The rising urban poverty or “new poverty” (Hong, 2005) among rural migrant workers is largely understudied. This chapter first reviews the history and social context of rural-urban migration movement in China from the 1980s to the 21st century. It then analyzes the effects of education and job training on labor income for migrant workers in China. It argues that migration of low-skilled rural migrants to the cities has a direct impact on the rising urban poverty, and it further explores the life conditions and characteristics of the urban poor and class discriminations against this disenfranchised group. Moreover, this chapter discusses the emotional and economic toll that urban poverty takes on the migrant workers, their families, and Chinese society in the context of social stability and future economic sustainability. Finally, it examines the policies and practices of remedial education and job (re)training that the Chinese government has put into place as a means to rectify the problems encountered by migrant workers living in poverty. The author of this chapter argues that understanding the extent to which migrants currently live under poverty is a crucial and often missing piece to advocating for and achieving equity and social justice in China.