Reform to Open the Channel for Farmers to Become Blue-Collar Middle-Income Group Members

The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee proposed that “the urban-rural dual structure is the main obstacle restricting urban-rural integration. It is necessary to improve the institutional mechanisms, form a new type of urban-rural relationship featuring industry promoting agriculture, cities supporting rural areas, mutual benefit between industry and agriculture, and urban-rural integration, so that the broad masses of farmers can participate equally in the modernization process and share in the fruits of modernization.” At present, China is entering a period of adjustment in its economic and social structure and the second half of the accelerated urbanization stage, which provides a new opportunity for the broad masses of farmers to transform into the urban blue-collar middle-income group. However, many obstacles still exist in the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members, and how to open up the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members is an urgent problem to be solved.

Opening the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members is both important and urgent

In the modernization process of countries around the world, changes in social strata, especially the rise and growth of the middle class, are a universal phenomenon. The middle class is not only a product of industrialization and modernization, but also a result of social transformation. To “expand the proportion of middle-income earners” and build a stable “middle-class society,” it is necessary to expand the social source base of the middle-income group. At present, the ranks of farmers who serve as the source of China's blue-collar middle-income group are constantly growing. The transformation of the economic structure, the advancement of population urbanization, and the reform of the income distribution system have brought opportunities for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members. To build a stable “middle-class society” and expand the social source base of the middle-income group, the urgent task is to break down the “barriers” that hinder farmers from becoming blue-collar middle-class members and open up the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members.

Obstacles restricting farmers from becoming blue-collar middle-income group members

First, farmers have relatively little property income. For a long time, farmers have only had land contractual management rights, renting out and selling houses is subject to legal restrictions, and investment channels are narrow. Farmers not only have relatively low total income, but also have a single source of property income. In addition, there are also problems such as regional disparities in farmers' property income, imbalance in property income among groups within the farmer population, and lack of coordination between the property income of farmers and urban residents.

⟦NL> Second, farmers' identity is constrained. The key to promoting farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members is to advance the citizenization of migrant workers. However, the actual situation is that when migrant workers enter cities for employment, they cannot enjoy the same treatment as urban residents in terms of labor, social security, and other aspects, cannot achieve a fundamental change in their farmer identity, and face various forms of discrimination and restrictions in household registration, employment, housing, and education.

Third, farmers have an unfavorable political status. China's Constitution grants farmers a special constitutional status. In a normative sense, this means that farmers have a relatively high political status. However, most of the special status of farmers stipulated by the Constitution remains only on paper, and in reality farmers' true social status is not high. Farmers are in a weak position in terms of political rights and political participation, and phenomena such as indifferent political emotions, vague political cognition, and insufficient investment in political behavior are widespread.

Fourth, the development of farmers' vocational skills training system lags behind. Two-thirds of China's industrial workers are migrant workers. Strengthening vocational skills training for migrant workers is the key to promoting the transfer of labor, increasing income, and integrating into mainstream urban society. However, the vocational skills training system for farmers lags behind in development. On the one hand, the main body of industrial workers has shifted from urban residents to the migrant worker group, the social status of Chinese industrial workers has continued to decline, and the originally relatively complete vocational skills certification system and the enterprise-internal “apprenticeship” training system have nearly collapsed. On the other hand, the agricultural population and migrant workers entering cities who urgently need vocational skills training have no way to enjoy cheap and high-quality vocational skills education.

Deep-seated reasons for the blocked upward channel for farmers

First, there is a lack of property rights system supply. China's urban and rural land property rights system, housing property rights system, and capital property rights system are inconsistent. The defects of the current rural land system make farmers “insulated” from land property income, and farmers cannot convert it into capital that can bring value appreciation. Farmers' houses, land, and other resources lack the guarantee of a legal property rights system. The confirmation and certification of various property rights such as rural houses and land are incomplete, and there is no trading platform.

Second, there are constraints on the supply of urban resources. Cities cannot meet the demand for employment opportunities after a large number of migrant workers become urban residents. Limited housing resources cause cities to restrict migrant workers from becoming urban residents by setting relatively high housing access conditions. Many cities hinder migrant workers from becoming new urban residents through restrictions on educational opportunities.

Third, farmers' political status is relatively weak. On the one hand, many farmers lack the material basis for political participation; on the other hand, they pay more attention to their own immediate material interests and are not highly enthusiastic about political participation. The electoral system is not sound, and a sound operating mechanism and procedure for farmers' political participation has not yet been formed. The degree of organization among farmers is relatively low, and they lack true representatives of their interests, which reduces farmers' ability to participate in politics.

Fourth, the education and training system is not sound. There is a lack of a unified organization and management institution for migrant worker education and training services, and a lack of overall coordination for farmer education and training. The supervision system for farmer education and training is incomplete, and there is a lack of efficient services for farmer education and training work. The lack of a standardized assessment and evaluation mechanism also affects the quality of migrant worker training.

Ideas and countermeasures for opening the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members

First, deepen the reform of the rural property rights system and increase farmers' property income. It is necessary to give farmers more property rights, expand the sources of farmers' total income through multiple channels, and increase farmers' property income. Ensure farmers' income from homesteads and housing property. Actively explore mortgage loans on the “three rights” of land contractual rights, management rights, and use rights.

Second, advance urban-rural integration and improve cities' capacity to accommodate farmers becoming blue-collar middle-income group members. It is necessary to accelerate urban infrastructure construction and enhance cities' capacity to accommodate newly added residents. Accelerate the reform of the household registration system, advance the integrated construction of urban and rural public services, and promote greater flow of rural surplus labor into towns and cities. Vigorously develop urban service industries and emerging industries, and increase urban jobs and employment opportunities for migrant workers. Advance the construction of welfare security systems such as housing for migrant workers and relieve migrant workers of their worries. Expand the capacity of urban educational resources and solve the education problem of migrant workers' children.

Third, promote social structural reform and improve farmers' political status. Caring for migrant workers, showing political concern, caring for their lives, showing concern for their work, and paying attention to their security are a livelihood project that the Party and the government should focus on implementing. Strengthen the construction of the legal system, open up and unblock channels for farmers' political participation, and strive to safeguard farmers' democratic rights. Give full play to the role of the media and guide society to pay broad attention to the rights and interests of the new generation of migrant workers. Strengthen the construction of social organizations and provide farmers with a platform to safeguard their interests and express their demands. Strengthen ideological and political education for farmers and continuously improve farmers' own cultural quality and political literacy.

Fourth, establish a vocational skills education and training system compatible with industrial development. First, rebuild the vocational skills certification system to solve the incentive problem for farmers' vocational skills training; second, rebuild the labor employment protection and enterprise-internal “apprenticeship” training system; third, break urban-rural isolation and regional isolation, establish a nationally unified vocational school training system for farmers, and enhance farmers' vocational competitiveness.

In short, it is necessary to open the channel for farmers to become blue-collar middle-income group members, enable farmers to smoothly join the ranks of blue-collar industrial workers, form a strong blue-collar middle-income group, strive to build an “olive-shaped affluent” society, and achieve long-term national stability and sustainable development.