Migrant Workers in China

The movement of migrant workers in China represents the largest movement of labour in peacetime world, and has significant impact on the labour relation in China. This paper explores the livelihood of the migrant labourers working in southern China. Much of the findings not only reinforce and update existing research on attitudes and experiences of labouring but also greatly extend and integrate this more thoroughly with the organization of work these migrants experience. The research concentrates on women migrants and draws on series of field research activities conducted between 2000 and 2004. Through an analysis of narratives and data of two cases, this research questions the reserve army argument, which is often used to marginalize the significance of such labour both to the overall labour market and the centrality of such work to many women’s lives, and argue for more protection from labour union to the migrant workers in China.