Experts analyze the underlying causes of a large number of unemployment, saying that migrant workers are not "passers-by" and their interests cannot be ignored.

-Dialogue motivation

What impact does the economic crisis have on migrant workers? What do our relevant development policies and systems need to reflect on and how to deal with the complex situation. Recently, our reporter talked with Cui Chuanyi, a researcher at the Rural Department of the State Council Development Research Center, and Cui Hongzhi, a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development of China Academy of Social Sciences, to discuss these issues together.

-Dialogue role

Cui Chuanyi: Deputy Secretary-General of China Rural Labor Resources Development Research Association, researcher of Rural Department of the State Council Development Research Center, and head of the research group of "China Rural Labor Transfer System".

Cui Hongzhi: Researcher, Institute of Rural Development, China Academy of Social Sciences, head of the research group of "Study on Social Security Needs of Migrant Workers"

The impact of the economic crisis

Last year 10 realized it and began to investigate.

Beijing News: Affected by the economic crisis, 20 million migrant workers across the country have lost their jobs or returned home. When did this issue begin to attract the attention of the competent department or scientific research department?

Cui Chuanyi: On June+10 last year, after realizing this problem, the Rural Department of the State Council Development Research Center organized our investigation and went to Changshu and Kunshan in southern Jiangsu. In Kunshan, we investigated a school for the children of migrant workers and got to know their parents by sending questionnaires to the children.

At that time, 80 students were investigated, and the feedback was that 45% of the students had been affected, or some family members were unemployed, or the factory had stopped production and only received basic salary.

At that time, 5% of the students in that school had left school because their parents were going home.

Beijing News: According to your analysis, which type of migrant workers are the majority?

Cui Chuanyi: For the factories that stopped production, everyone is unemployed. For enterprises that need to lay off employees, first lay off employees who are older and have lower labor skills.

However, it is understood that after some enterprises closed down, skilled employees were laid off. Those enterprises that have not closed down are just taking over these good employees and eliminating the unqualified personnel in their own enterprises.

Reflect on development ideas

The development of some small and medium-sized enterprises is restricted.

Beijing News: It is not just migrant workers who are affected by the economic crisis. From the perspective of unemployed migrant workers, is there anything worthy of our own reflection?

Cui Chuanyi: Of course, the main reason for the unemployment of migrant workers is the worldwide economic crisis.

But on the other hand, our development policy also has something to reflect on. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the main carriers of migrant workers' employment, but for a period of time, we always want to adjust the industrial structure and develop high-tech industries and capital-intensive enterprises in coastal areas, paying little attention to private labor-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises and textile industry, ignoring their important role in the employment of large population and the transfer of rural labor force at this stage.

Textile and clothing are mainly operated by private small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the daily consumer goods of the masses, both for export and domestic demand, and are not "sunset" industries. But in some places, it is regarded as a backward industry, which restricts its development and prevents financial institutions from lending to it. The burden is also heavy.

The ability of small and medium-sized enterprises to cope with the crisis is already weak, and the pressure is even greater because of the difficulty in lending. It was not until August and September last year that the State Council led an in-depth investigation in the coastal areas, only to find problems and adjust policies.

For small and medium-sized enterprises and labor-intensive industries, we should consider supporting their technological transformation and industrial upgrading, maintaining their dominant position in the international market and meeting the needs of improving people's living standards, rather than simply "adjusting" them in the process of industrial restructuring. Policies and services in this area should be further enriched and improved.

Cui Hongzhi: Through the impact of the economic crisis on migrant workers, we can see that in recent decades, we have not paid attention to expanding domestic demand. Enterprises do not produce for domestic demand, but mainly for export, and coastal areas have become world processing factories. In this way, whenever something happens in the international market, the domestic market will be affected.

This development idea directly affects the industrial spatial layout. Because of the production of export products, most factories are located in coastal areas for convenient transportation.

If it is to produce domestic demand products, the factory can be located in the mainland, and in small and medium-sized cities near the hometown of migrant workers, it can change the centralized flow of migrant workers.

These are not the factors that cause migrant workers to return home unemployed, but when the economic crisis occurs, we have to consider these issues.

Thoughts on deep system

Double separatism ignores the interests of migrant workers.

Beijing News: Apart from the development policy, is there anything else we need to think about in our system?

Cui Chuanyi: The problem of urban-rural division has not been solved, which has affected the rights and interests of migrant workers and hindered the process of industrialization and urbanization.

Beijing News: What does this have to do with the unemployment of migrant workers?

Cui Chuanyi: Our long-term dual regime has neglected the interests of migrant workers. When there is an economic storm, migrant workers become the first victims.

Social security and unfair employment treatment for children are commonplace, not much to say. The problem is that these unfairness increases the living burden of migrant workers. Once the burden is heavier after unemployment, their ability to resist risks is weak.

The contribution of migrant workers is obvious to all, but the city has not included them in the housing security system and has no place to live. Faced with the economic crisis, it is difficult for them to find jobs and receive training patiently.

Beijing News: But solving these problems will not necessarily reduce their unemployment in the economic crisis, will it?

Cui Chuanyi: You don't understand it that way. If urban public services can be given to migrant workers equally, then they can increase their ability to cope with unemployment.

If they can be provided with low-rent housing, their children can also enjoy the same compulsory education, and many migrant workers with stable employment can settle in a city relatively. Once more people settle down, they can buy durable consumer goods and demand more services. This will greatly increase the proportion of the tertiary industry in industrialization and urbanization and increase their employment opportunities.

In the economic crisis, the unemployment rate of the tertiary industry is relatively low. This crisis clearly shows that the unemployment rate of manufacturing industry is much higher than that of tertiary industry.

But our urban and rural barriers have not been broken.

Unemployed migrant workers stay in cities.

Too many clusters may lead to social problems.

Beijing News: Under such a system, can migrant workers return home only if they are unemployed?

Cui Chuanyi: Unemployment does not mean returning home, which is more reflected in young people, which is what we call "the second generation of migrant workers". Those born after 80s left school and went to work. They recognized the production and life of this city. After they lost their jobs, many people stayed in the city waiting for employment opportunities, and some people went back to the city to look for jobs.

Beijing News: What if you can't find a job for a long time?

Cui Chuanyi: Then you will face difficulties in life. Living and eating will become problems. One person and two people are not a big problem. If such young people get together, it may cause some social problems.

Beijing News: How should cities respond?

Cui Chuanyi: Migrant workers have contributed to the city. They are not passers-by. The city government undertakes the responsibility of promoting employment, creating employment opportunities and ensuring the most basic living conditions of citizens. We should try our best to give appropriate help to some migrant workers who have serious difficulties in finding jobs in cities.

Cui Hongzhi: The current trend of migrant workers flowing to big cities is difficult to change, which reminds us to pay attention to solving the problems of migrant workers in our usual policies, such as the implementation of the minimum wage system and not paying wages.

Beijing News: The problem is that some enterprises have closed down. How does the government create employment opportunities?

Cui Chuanyi: For those enterprises that are still operating, the government should reduce the burden on enterprises, expand loan support for enterprises with market demand, and reduce the number of closed enterprises, thus reducing the chances of unemployment.

At the same time, we should try our best to reduce the social burden of migrant workers. For example, students in schools for children of migrant workers should be subsidized according to national policies.

Beijing News: Everyone is talking about the responsibility of the government. What can migrant workers who stay in cities do for themselves?

Cui Chuanyi: Start your own business, but this is not what you want to find. You should adjust your mentality and engage in low-end service industries such as catering, street stalls and human transportation. The government should adopt a loose policy to encourage and support migrant workers to find their own jobs in cities, just as it encourages laid-off workers.

Migrant workers return home to start businesses.

Faced with difficulties in loans and land use.

Beijing News: What I just said was the unemployed who stayed in the city. Do you have any good suggestions for those migrant workers who return home?

Cui Chuanyi: You can go home to start a business, and the space in the countryside is still very broad.

Beijing News: Is there a foundation for the vast space?

Cui Chuanyi: Yes, at the end of 2007, the Rural Department of the National Research Center was entrusted by the the State Council Migrant Workers Joint Conference Office to set up a research group and conducted a survey in 100 labor export counties. At that time, before the economic crisis broke out, there were far more migrant workers returning home to start businesses. After 2003, the number of migrant workers returning home to start businesses was 3. 1 times that of the 1990s.

Beijing News: What difficulties will they have in starting a business?

Cui Chuanyi: There are mainly the following problems. First, the entrepreneurial environment is poor. In our survey, 59.6% people think it is difficult to approve enterprises or establish projects. More than 40% think that government departments charge fees indiscriminately and enterprises have a heavy burden.

The second problem is the difficulty in obtaining loans. Nearly 80% of migrant workers who return home to start businesses are not supported by financial institutions. Not only is the loan channel single, mainly rural credit cooperatives, but also the loan interest is high. In addition, the expenses incurred in the application process actually exceed 12%.

The third problem is the difficulty of land use.

The fourth problem is the low technology content of entrepreneurship, which is easy to cause environmental pollution and waste of resources.

These problems should attract the attention of the government, and migrant workers themselves should be able to see and take the initiative to avoid them.

Need government guidance

Some places are not very supportive of farmers' entrepreneurship.

Beijing News: Where is the government's enthusiasm for guiding migrant workers to start businesses?

Cui Chuanyi: Domestic demand in rural areas and small towns actually exists, and the government's ideology needs to be changed.

Many places are not very supportive of farmers' entrepreneurship, mainly because they think that farmers' entrepreneurship has solved their own problems and cannot increase the government's fiscal revenue, which is wrong. Increasing farmers' employment income and realizing unemployment and reemployment are all achievements. They have a source of livelihood, which is to reduce the burden on the government. Don't farmers increase their consumption if they have money in their hands? Won't it promote the local economic development?

There are three types of farmers' entrepreneurship, one is employment, the other is growth and profit, and the third is advanced enterprise. Generally speaking, mainly the first two, we can't have too high expectations for entrepreneurship.

From the perspective of ordinary people, solving the employment problem is the first, and then promoting local economic development. The government should have a clear understanding of this.

Beijing News: Is there any other way besides starting a business?

Cui Chuanyi: The government can also guide the development of modern agriculture, which coincides with returning home to start a business. In addition, local non-agricultural enterprises can be encouraged to use these returnees.

In the past, young people from the mainland often went to big cities, so it was difficult for local enterprises to recruit workers. Now some people have gone back and become familiar with it, which is also an opportunity for these enterprises.

Look at the unemployment situation of migrant workers

Don't be too pessimistic and don't take it lightly.

The Beijing News: There is a view that if 20 million migrant workers are broken down, there will be more than 10000 in each county and hundreds in each township. There's no need to be so nervous. Is this right?

Cui Chuanyi: I can't think so. The account is so calculated, but not all unemployed migrant workers go back to the village, and some stay in the city to find jobs. Some young people may go back, but they have no experience in farming. In addition, there is little land in rural areas, and they are unlikely to farm at home. Many people will go to county towns and market towns to find jobs. If their employment is not solved for a period of time, once they are accumulated, they cannot be ignored.

On the other hand, we should also see that the employment of migrant workers has always been carried out under the market mechanism. They have experienced many difficulties and even twists and turns, and they have adaptive experience and wisdom, and they have contracted land in their hometown as the bottom line. Their employment has certain flexibility and flexibility, and grassroots cadres and the masses have great creativity. They should have the confidence to solve the difficulties.

For the impact of this economic crisis on migrant workers, we can neither be too pessimistic nor take it lightly.

Beijing News: At present, is the impact of this crisis on employment over?

Cui Chuanyi: The impact on employment is not so far, but deepening. In 2008, orders of some enterprises were confirmed in the first half of last year, so they were maintained until last year. However, the orders in the first half of 2009 have not been completed, and such enterprises will encounter great difficulties in the first half of this year.

—— Investigation Report on Returning Migrant Workers in Chating Village, Hanshou County

Abstract: The subprime mortgage crisis, which originated in the United States, developed into a financial tsunami and then into an economic crisis in which the real industry was seriously damaged, which almost swept the world. In China, affected by it, millions of investors, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, have no worries about food and clothing. Workers working in factories, especially migrant workers, are completely different. After they left the land, they made a living by working, raising children and supporting the elderly. Once you lose an unstable job, the consequences can be imagined. It is reported that since the end of 2008, the tide of migrant workers returning home has been going on. Migrant workers began to return home! Although the relevant departments try to keep a low profile and claim that it has not become a "tide", the quiet flow of returning people still shows the fact that migrant workers are returning home, and the number is increasing and the team is expanding. During the winter vacation, the author found in Chating Village, Hanshou County, Changde City, my hometown that for many returning migrant workers, going out to work has become the lifestyle of many of them for many years, and the income from working is the main source of income for many peasant families. They report that the economic crisis has come, and there are fewer opportunities to go out to work recently, and their income has dropped. They encountered many difficulties and problems in the process of working and returning to China. In this regard, the author visited several families of returning migrant workers, summed up the difficulties and problems encountered by returning migrant workers before the economic crisis, and put forward countermeasures to solve the problems.

Keywords: economic crisis, the employment difficulties of migrant workers countermeasures

2008 was an extraordinary year, especially the economic crisis at the end of the year brought suffering to the people of China, especially the migrant workers. With the growing impact of the economic crisis, from the end of 2008, migrant workers in the coastal areas of China began to embark on a journey home. Although the Party and the government have adopted and implemented a series of measures and policies to ease the difficulties of migrant workers' re-employment and returning home, there are still many problems in returning home, such as the large number of migrant workers, the widespread economic crisis, and the lack of policies and measures in some remote grassroots areas, which have seriously affected the recovery of urban economy, the development of rural economy and the stability of social order. In my spare time during the winter vacation, I made a detailed investigation of the returning migrant workers in Chating Village, and learned in detail the difficulties and problems in the life of the returning migrant workers in our village by visiting the village committees, village party branches and other institutions. Through this investigation, I have a deeper understanding of the basic situation of returning migrant workers in my village and gained some valuable practical experience.

First, the status quo of returning migrant workers in our village

Affected by the financial crisis, some export-oriented enterprises in coastal areas closed down or stopped production, causing a large number of migrant workers to return home. According to statistics, as of June 38, 2008+February, more than 800,000 migrant workers have returned home in Hunan, and it is estimated that the number of migrant workers returning home will reach 2.8 million in 2009. In Hanshou County, about 1.7 million people returned home in the past two months, an increase of about 30% over the same period last year. It is expected that more people will return home in the next two months. Among them, the return rate of migrant workers who go out to work in our village has reached 90%. Take the sixth group of Chating Village as an example. A group of 34 households in Chating Village, 22 households went out to work, and returned home at the end of the year 19 households, an increase of nearly 40% over previous years. All returning migrant workers are planning their own livelihood. At present, there are three main schemes for returning migrant workers in our village.

1. Some young migrant workers are going to go home temporarily and go out to work after the economic recovery.

With the spread of the financial crisis, the employment situation is becoming more and more severe. Perhaps it's because the year is approaching, and I feel I can go home early for the New Year. It seems that migrant workers do not have much ideological pressure on this kind of unemployment. However, that year has passed, and the returning troops after the Spring Festival will definitely come back and set off a new wave of returning to the city.

A large number of young migrant workers in our village said that it is difficult for them to adapt to rural production and life because of their long-term work outside the home. They feel "bored at home". In addition, they don't understand agricultural production technology, and there is not enough arable land in rural areas. Even in the face of a strong economy, they still choose to face challenges. Although they seem to have run out of water in the fierce competition, there is still the possibility of "another village" He is also confident that as long as he adjusts his mentality in time and calmly finds his personal position, he believes that there will always be a "way out" and he will always find another village.

2. Some older migrant workers are ready to work at home with peace of mind and don't plan to go out again.

According to various employment news channels, including TV and newspapers, returning migrant workers know that at present, both large enterprises and small factories are still tightening their belts in coastal areas, and employment opportunities are naturally decreasing and employment competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Coupled with the squeeze of more and more unemployed college students, the huge employment opportunities for returning migrant workers will be even more difficult. Therefore, in the highly competitive team, most of the elderly migrant workers in our village know that they have lost their competitive advantage, so they can only choose to "let go" in the severe employment competition, work at home with peace of mind, and do not intend to go out again. In addition, the older migrant workers in our village have experience in agricultural production, and compared with the younger migrant workers, they can quickly adapt to rural life and reintegrate into their own land.

3. Those who have accumulated certain funds and skills while working abroad are ready to return to China to start a business.

In the early 1990s, migrant workers in China began to emigrate to cities. Many migrant workers who began to "go to sea" and "wander the rivers and lakes" in those years became "senior" migrant workers. After years of hard work, they have accumulated some capital and technology. Therefore, under the severe employment situation, they wisely chose to "wash their hands of the golden basin", quit the rivers and lakes, and returned to their hometown to start a business with their accumulated funds and technology for many years. Li XX, a six-group returning migrant worker in our village, used the agricultural machinery repair technology he had mastered when working outside for many years to set up an individual agricultural machinery repair shop in the local area, which not only found employment opportunities for himself, but also facilitated his neighbors who were farmers.

Second, the problems of returning migrant workers in our village

1. Land transfer disputes caused by migrant workers returning home.

Traditional rice cultivation has always been the main production activity in our village. Because of the characteristics of rice planting, large-scale production is needed as a business model. However, because our village has a large population and little land, some migrant workers choose to go out for employment in order to make a living. And a small amount of land in their hands, with their going out, formed a short-term circulation of land. Now, with the return of migrant workers, they can only rely on the land again for their livelihood. Because the land transfer contract they signed was not standardized, land transfer disputes broke out, and with the increase of migrant workers returning home, the contradiction became bigger. As the planting season approaches and migrant workers return to their hometowns for planting in the New Year, the land transfer disputes in our village may heat up and even fight.

The income of returning migrant workers in our village has decreased.

The migrant workers who have returned from our village have all returned to the countryside and can only rely on agricultural production to maintain their basic livelihood. The level of agricultural production in our village has not been high, and the agricultural production technology is low. The old returning migrant workers have been continuing the traditional agricultural planting. Agricultural production efficiency is low, much less than that of returning migrant workers, and their income is obviously reduced.

In addition, many returning migrant workers are not used to or can't do farm work at all, but short-term agricultural training can't change the status quo at all. Moreover, because of traffic jams, even the dream of returning migrant workers who have seen the world to change the traditional agricultural business model is only an illusion, and large-scale agricultural production machinery is difficult to transport to their own land because of traffic jams. Nowadays, the completion and opening of the Third Shui Yuan Bridge has aggravated the traffic congestion in our village.

3. Migrant workers return home, which intensifies the local employment pressure.

With the deepening and persistence of the financial crisis, the demand pattern of the labor market will change significantly, and the oversupply of labor will become a foregone conclusion. At present, there are nearly 900,000 migrant workers in our city, most of whom have returned home because of the economic crisis. Migrant workers return home to form a large-scale unemployment "returning tide", and the overall employment situation in our city has changed significantly. A considerable number of migrant workers are unemployed, which means that there are a large number of "idle migrant workers" in our city. According to the survey conducted by the human resources and social security organs on the information of occupational supply and demand in the labor market of our city, compared with the same period of last year, the demand for employment in our city has dropped by 5.5%, which is the first time in many years. With the aggravation of the economic crisis, the data will continue to increase, and the return of migrant workers will further aggravate the employment situation in our city.

4. The return of a large number of migrant workers has intensified the population flow in our village, causing social disorder and affecting social stability.

Under the current new economic situation, the unemployment and return of migrant workers have obviously increased the pressure on social stability. One of the biggest characteristics of migrant workers is instability. Many migrant workers in our village feel uncomfortable in their hometown environment after returning home. In recent years, most young people in the village have gone out. Except that the house is better, everything else is similar. For more than a decade, they felt that their hometown could only be described as "dirty, chaotic and poor". I used to live in a city outside, but when I came back, I felt that nothing was convenient or satisfactory. Neighborhoods often have disputes and fights over trivial matters, resulting in both losses. In particular, some unemployed migrant workers who return home are older, have poor working ability, lack social security and have unequal mentality, which is easy to intensify social contradictions. In addition, the villagers heard that the idle people in the past came back, and everyone closed the door as soon as it was dark.

5. With rising prices and serious overcapacity, it is difficult to improve the living standards of returning migrant workers.

Since last year, prices in China have risen sharply, which has affected the living standards of the people all over the country. In all walks of life, farmers are the most affected. It's only been a year since they started, and they have to invest a lot of money in their own land. However, this is undoubtedly a difficult point for returning migrant workers. After spending a lot of money on land, the only thing they can expect is the next round of harvest. In the harvest season, maintaining their livelihood is their primary task, and improving their living standards is even more extravagant.

In order to improve this situation, they can only reduce the cost input, which undoubtedly reduces the input of labor force first. They also suffer from labor surplus. In the survey, I asked a migrant worker who was only in his early forties, "Why don't you go home and farm?" They say that the cost of land is too high, and it is too difficult for a family to eat by farming. In the past, everyone could raise pigs in rural areas, but now the cost of raising pigs is not worthwhile. A pig: 1, buy a pig 150-300 yuan; 2. Feed 3000 Jin of corn, about 1500 yuan; 3. Pig feed is about 1000 yuan. Even if you are lucky enough to feed a pig with a gross weight of 400 Jin, the current market price is only 5 yuan, which is only worth 2,000 yuan. "Not counting labor is a loss!"

Therefore, it is hard to say what it means for migrant workers to return home when prices rise and rural productivity is seriously surplus. Although we may selfishly predict that the Spring Festival travel rush peak problem will be solved ahead of schedule this year, the return of migrant workers will bring the problem back to the countryside without really digesting it-this is not only an economic problem, but also a social problem, and in a sense, a political problem.

Third, solve the problems and difficulties of migrant workers in our village.

With the intensification of the economic crisis and the continuation of migrant workers, it is our unshirkable responsibility to face difficulties bravely. More importantly, it is our central task to solve the difficulties and problems of returning migrant workers from the perspective of protecting their interests.

1. Attach importance to rural infrastructure construction, vigorously implement the "returning home project", guide people who work or do business outside the home to return home to start businesses, and boost economic construction in their hometown.

At present, although some migrant workers in our village have returned home, there are still a large number of migrant workers working hard outside and living a hard life. In order to protect their fundamental interests, we should take the opportunity of expanding state investment to stimulate consumption and domestic demand, do a good job in infrastructure construction, promote the economy, and promote the re-employment of returning migrant workers.

In order to promote the economy, the state has recently introduced a series of policies and measures to expand investment, stimulate consumption and ensure steady and rapid economic development. For example, the state has increased the investment scale by 4 trillion yuan, investing in primary education, health and social security to stimulate consumption and stimulate domestic demand. In order to improve our infrastructure and improve our investment environment, we need to carefully judge the situation, strive for investment to the maximum according to our own characteristics and advantages, and maximize the efficiency of investment. If we can do this, we can not only improve the traffic conditions in our village, open or harden the village roads, build small biogas digesters, change the old face of difficult travel and poor sanitation in our village, but also effectively improve the living environment of returning migrant workers, effectively increase their employment opportunities and broaden their employment channels.

2. Improve the local entrepreneurial and employment environment, and promote migrant workers to return to their hometowns for re-employment.

The preferential policies promulgated by the state to promote the re-employment of returning migrant workers should be used flexibly and give full play to their functions. Vigorously create a good environment for returning migrant workers to re-employment and start businesses. Policies should be tilted, taxes and fees should be preferential or reduced, and the environment should be relaxed. Actively give migrant workers ideas, ways, ways, and practical things. Let migrant workers truly enjoy the benefits of the policy and open the door to convenience.

Among the returning migrant workers, there are many skilled technicians and capable people who are familiar with management. They learned skills in part-time jobs and got the first bucket of gold. Therefore, we should take advantage of these advantages, vigorously advocate and support these talented people to return to their hometowns to start businesses, use their capital and technological advantages to start businesses, and set up business entities, regardless of size, to provide integrated support. In addition, we will give strong support in terms of preferential policies, preferential treatment or reduction of taxes and fees, finding ways to raise funds and finding products, and provide all convenient conditions within the scope permitted by law. Especially those who have the ability and technical reputation to start a business, banks should give capital loans to solve the problem of insufficient funds. Entrepreneurship of returning migrant workers can solve the employment problem of more migrant workers, thus effectively solving the word "crisis" in the economic crisis, creating "opportunities" for development and promoting the good development of local regional economy.

3. Strengthen the training of migrant workers and improve their overall quality;

To strengthen the training of migrant workers and improve their overall quality, we should actively strive for funds for vocational and technical education and training, and do a good job in vocational and technical education for returning migrant workers.