China: Migrant Workers Want ‘Decent Work’

Decent Work in Agriculture Synopsis of the Background paper (IWSDWA/2003) International Workers’ Symposium on Decent Work in Agriculture

Work stress, life stress, and smoking among rural–urban migrant workers in China

BACKGROUND Stimulated by rapid modernization and industrialization, there is massive rural-urban migration in China. The migrants are highly susceptible to smoking and mental health problems. This study examined the association between both perceived work stress and perceived life stress with smoking behavior among this group during the period of migration. METHODS Participants (n = 1,595) we...

Decent Work: A Psychological Perspective

This contribution, which serves as the lead article for the Research Topic entitled "From Meaning of Working to Meaningful Lives: The Challenges of Expanding Decent Work," explores current challenges in the development and operationalization of decent work. Based on an initiative from the International Labor Organization [ILO] (1999) decent work represents an aspirational statement about the qu...

Economic Status and Social Attitudes of Migrant Workers in China

Migrant workers, meaning those who used to be farmers but have left rural areas and found jobs in cities as a result of economic reform and rapid development in China, have made a significant contribution to the burgeoning labor market and played an important role in speeding up the transition from a planned to a market economy. This present paper considers the economic status and social attitu...

Social Capital and Community Participation among Migrant Workers in China

In China, rapid development has prompted massive migration from rural to urban areas. Migrants’ participation in Urban Residents Committees (URCs) and other community organizations offers opportunities for the development of social capital and democracy in contemporary China. We use 2006 survey data from a stratified convenience sample of 3,024 migrant workers in 7 Chinese cities to examine ind...