On October 25, in Beijing, the News Center of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions held a press conference to discuss the implementation of the Opinions from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council regarding the deepening reform of the industrial workforce. During this event, a representative from the Federation spoke about the future direction of these efforts, emphasizing the goal of transforming migrant workers into high-quality modern industrial workers.
“Migrant workers are a vital part of the industrial workforce, playing a crucial role in the modernization of socialism and contributing significantly to the high-quality development of the population and the realization of common prosperity,” said Jiang Wenliang, Deputy Minister and Inspector at the Labor and Economic Work Department of the Federation. He cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics, which indicates that the total number of migrant workers in China exceeded 297 million in 2023. The Opinions clearly state that there is a need to cultivate migrant workers into highly skilled modern industrial workers, focusing on areas such as skills training, educational enhancement, urban integration, equitable service, rights protection, and stable employment, thereby providing a clear direction and framework for addressing the challenges faced by this demographic.
Jiang outlined several key initiatives moving forward:
1. **Optimizing Settlement Policies for Migrant Workers**: The State Council has released a five-year action plan to advance a people-centered new urbanization strategy, which includes easing restrictions on settling in most cities, aside from a few major metropolises.
2. **Enhancing Skills and Quality**: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has issued guidelines to strengthen vocational skills training for migrant workers, launching the “Spring Surge Initiative” in collaboration with nine departments to enhance the quality of urban integration efforts. Furthermore, a joint initiative between the Federation and the Ministry of Education aims to promote both educational and skill advancements for migrant workers.
3. **Strengthening Service and Protection**: Eight departments, including the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Federation, have introduced guidelines to safeguard the rights of new employment form workers. Various service activities aim to provide comprehensive support for migrant workers settling in cities, with the establishment of over 180,000 trade union service stations nationwide, ultimately covering nearly 200 million workers and serving over 2.3 million individuals daily.
4. **Encouraging Recognition and Motivation**: The Federation actively seeks to identify and publicize exemplary migrant workers. In 2020, they comprised 8.7% of national model workers, while they made up 18.2% of the winners of the National May Day Labor Medal in 2024.
“Migrant workers are a key focus group within the reform of the industrial workforce,” Jiang stated. “Moving forward, we will strengthen inter-departmental coordination, align policies, and implement the reform measures required to effectively nurture migrant workers into high-caliber modern industrial laborers, thereby expanding the workforce and solidifying the foundational class and mass base for the Party’s long-term governance.”
