The Citizenization of the New Generation of Migrant Workers Must Be Advanced Through Institutional Development

“New generation of migrant workers” refers to rural migrant laborers born in the 1980s and 1990s, who generally regard integration into cities and towns as their final destination, and currently account for about 60% of the total number of migrant workers. The “new generation of migrant workers” has stepped onto the important stage of the urbanization process and has become the main part of the new industrial working class. In the rapid urbanization process, the issue of the “new generation of migrant workers” has become a social reality that must be resolved.

The difficulties faced by the “new generation of migrant workers” in urban survival and development

Generally speaking, for the “new generation of migrant workers” to integrate into cities and towns, there are three major obstacles to overcome. First, although the dual household registration system has already been broken, there is still a “very long way” to go before farmers and migrant workers can equally enjoy the social welfare and most basic social security goals of urban residents. Second, wages are generally low, which means the vast majority of the “new generation of migrant workers” cannot afford to buy housing in cities and towns, and some cannot even rent a space where they can lead a simple family life. Third, the “new generation of migrant workers” enter cities to work with dreams, but generally find it difficult to truly integrate into urban society, and some cannot even gain basic trust or suffer various forms of discrimination.

Advancing the citizenization of the new generation of migrant workers requires strengthening institutional development

First, a unified urban-rural household registration system must be established. To meet the needs of advancing new urbanization, further carry out reform of the household registration system and implement the policy of relaxing restrictions on household registration transfers. The distinction between agricultural household registration and non-agricultural household registration, as well as household registration types derived from it such as blue-stamp household registration, should be abolished, and registration should be unified as resident household registration, restoring the household registration system's function of population registration and management. Today, when free movement is no longer a problem, the essence of the dual household registration system lies in the various welfare benefits, policies and management methods attached to it, and how to reform it is a systematic project. The residence permit system should be implemented universally, and city managers should break down local protectionism and provide the “new generation of migrant workers” living there with basic public services equal to those of local residents, the most important of which is the establishment of a social security system. In addition to pension insurance and other items, special attention should be paid to unemployment insurance to help migrant workers with unstable employment get through difficult periods. Local governments should gradually lower the threshold for migrant workers to obtain urban household registration, and establish, improve and actively promote the points-based household registration system.

Second, the “new generation of migrant workers” should be included in the urban housing security system. City governments should formulate corresponding policies for migrant workers to obtain urban housing, adopt multiple methods to guarantee the basic housing needs of the “new generation of migrant workers”, and advance their citizenization in an orderly manner. On the issue of housing for migrant workers, the government should increase investment in indemnificatory housing such as low-rent housing, affordable housing, and price-capped commercial housing. At present, a relatively feasible method is to provide low-rent housing for migrant workers, and build dormitories or single apartments for the “new generation of migrant workers”. In the long run, consideration should be given comprehensively to the issue of realizing the land rights and interests of farmers after they enter cities under the rural collective land system, that is, transforming the land “jointly owned” by migrant workers as members of the collective into their personal property income, turning it into the “first pot of gold” for purchasing urban housing. For this reason, coordinated reform of the land system and the household registration system must be carried out.

⟦NL> Third, efforts should be made through multiple channels to raise the civic literacy of the “new generation of migrant workers”. This includes providing free or low-tuition vocational education and vocational training for the “new generation of migrant workers” to help them master more and better livelihood skills; strengthening exchanges between the “new generation of migrant workers” and urban residents so that they understand and accept each other; integrating urban and rural culture, and striving to bring about mutual integration and harmony between the rural civilization rules still retained by the “new generation of migrant workers” and the modern civilization rules of the city; and starting from good-neighborliness and friendliness, establishing a new cultural standard consistent with interpersonal relations in modern society, realizing the resocialization of the “new generation of migrant workers”, and promoting their integration into the city.