Unemployment Among the Migrant Population in Chinese Cities: Case Study of Beijing

The increasing number of migrants moving to cities, especially from rural areas, has posed a new set of issues for the authorities. In the mid-1990s, it was estimated that China had a floating population or temporary migrants of up to 110 million people (Solinger, 1999) and this figure was expected to rise in the future. The majority of migrants are in the prime labor force participation age range and they have taken up positions in the ‘3 D’ (demanding, dirty and dangerous) occupations which are unattractive to local residents. Most studies so far have been concerned with the economic impacts of migrants on sending and receiving regions.