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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 2
Publication Date: February 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.102.14021.
Xiao, S., & Tian, R. G. (2023). Migrant Workers’ Housing: A Case Study of the Wuling Mountain Area. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(2). 410-419.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Migrant Workers’ Housing:
A Case Study of the Wuling Mountain Area
Sidi Xiao
School of Business, Huaihua University
Robert Guang Tian
Corresponding Author (rgtian@yahoo.com)
School of Business, Huaihua University
Abstract
Migrant workers’ urban housing meets their residential needs and represents their
social rights and integration into the city. However, migrant workers live in poor
housing conditions in cities with regional differences. The Wuling Mountain Area is
located in the strategic intersection zone of the central and western regions. The
area is highly attractive to migrant workers because of its economic and
geographical location and low housing prices. It is a typical case to address migrant
workers’ urban integration. In this paper, migrant workers’ urban housing was
investigated in the Wuling Mountains area. It was found that their housing was in
poor conditions, with inadequate housing facilities, an impoverished community
environment, and insufficient supporting facilities. Given this, some policy
recommendations were proposed. The government should make urban housing
accessible to migrant workers and improve city housing conditions. In addition,
migrant workers should be motivated to pay for urban housing and integrate into
cities. Hence, it can provide practical implications for addressing migrant workers’
urban housing.
Keywords: Migrant workers; Urban housing; Wuling Mountains Area
INTRODUCTION
As the most specific part of China’s urbanization, migrant workers have contributed
significantly to urban development. However, migrant workers are farmers and workers, and
their work is highly mobile. Thus, they cannot be integrated into the city. As a result, they cannot
benefit from the same social security as urban residents. Housing has special significance in
China, where urban-rural dualism is solidified. It is considered a place for living and is closely
related to social security systems such as household registration, education, rural land, and
medical care. Because of this, housing is particularly crucial in urban social welfare and is the
critical and challenging problem of migrant workers’ urban integration (Gao and Liu, 2022).
According to the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China
will adhere to the principle that housing is for living in and not for speculation. Also, China will
move faster to build a housing system featuring multiple suppliers and various support
channels that encourage housing rentals and purchases (Xi, 2022). The critical point is to
ensure people’s access to housing. At this stage, migrant workers live in inadequate housing in
cities.
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Xiao, S., & Tian, R. G. (2023). Migrant Workers’ Housing: A Case Study of the Wuling Mountain Area. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal,
10(2). 410-419.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.102.14021
On the one hand, about 60% of migrant workers have no stable housing in the city (Li and
Ouyang, 2022). 20% live in group dormitories (Ren and He, 2022). The per capita living area of
migrant workers is lower than the basic urban level. In addition, they live in a bad environment
with poor living facilities, directly affecting their residential satisfaction (Zhao, Yu and Xu,
2022).
On the other hand, many migrant workers cannot access housing-related social benefits. About
70% of migrant workers do not follow housing-related policies (Li and Ouyang, 2022), and only
2% have affordable housing (Xie et al., 2020). The enrollment of children of migrant workers
who live in cities with their parents is linked to stable housing. It has become a constraint for
migrant workers to move their families to cities (Du, 2020). Due to the imperfect system of
homestead replacement, rural residents move, but their land is not transferred. Migrant
workers fear losing their rights and interests in their villages if they settle in cities (Cheng et al.,
2022). At the same time, there are regional differences in migrant workers’ urban housing.
Migrant workers within the province mainly buy houses, while those who migrate across
provinces mostly rent homes. Housing conditions of migrant workers have improved in small
and medium-sized cities compared to first- and second-tier cities. There is room to release the
housing affordability of migrant workers. Most migrant workers’ housing expenditure accounts
for less than 30% of their income and total spending (Ren and He, 2022). Therefore, it is crucial
to identify the entry point for migrant workers’ urban housing. We need to consider the
affordability of housing for migrant workers and the provision of a sound social benefits system
in the city (Chen and Yang, 2021).
Located at the strategic intersection of western development and the rise of central China, the
Wuling Mountain Area has a well-developed economic policy system. It is highly inclusive for
migrant workers in west and central China (Yue, Wang and Li, 2022), and its lower housing
prices are affordable for them. It is highly significant to address migrant workers’ housing by
studying this area. Therefore, the paper examines the current urban housing problems for
migrant workers in the Wuling Mountain Area. In addition, it will identify practical solutions to
the housing problems, improve the current housing situation, promote migrant workers’ urban
integration, and accelerate their transformation into urban citizens.
STATUS ANALYSIS OF URBAN HOUSING FOR MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE WULING
MOUNTAIN AREA
We investigated the current housing conditions of migrant workers in the Wuling Mountain
Area and analyzed the intrinsic link between housing and urban integration. In this way, we can
contribute to solving migrant workers’ housing and urban integration. The survey was
conducted in August 2021. Huaihua City, which has a large resident population in the Wuling
Mountain Area, was chosen as the base for the survey. One-on-one interviews were conducted
with relevant persons in industrial parks, construction sites, marketplaces, and suburban
villages. A total of 278 valid questionnaires were collected.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Migrant workers’ personal information is closely related to their housing choice and
willingness to integrate into the city. Therefore, we must analyze migrant workers’ basic
knowledge and financial situation. Firstly, we analyzed the basic information of migrant
workers, such as gender, age, industry, education, marriage, and form of employment. The
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 2, February-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
male-to-female ratio was controlled at 6:4 according to the test report of national migrant
workers in 2021 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2022) when the questionnaires were
distributed. As a result, it can minimize the bias of questionnaire quality due to the gender ratio.
Migrant workers are mainly from the construction (31%), manufacturing (27%), and service
(33%) industries. Migrant workers are aging significantly, with only 12% under 30 and 35%
over 50. They are poorly educated. 31% have a primary school education, and below, 44% have
a junior high school education, 23% have a high school education, and only 2% have a junior
college education and above.
Regarding marital status, 68% were married, 32% were unmarried, and most of the available
were men. The high marriage rate may be due to the control of gender ratio in this study, and
it also coincides with the increasing rate of unmarried single men in rural areas (Wang and
Wang, 2022). Regarding employment, 45% of couples work in the same place, 39% work alone,
and 16% work with the whole family. This structure facilitates migrant workers from less
economically developed areas into the city.
The survey revealed that migrant workers’ revenues were reasonable based on their income,
expenses and housing costs. Only 8% of migrant workers earn less than RMB 3,000 per month,
and 4% make more than RMB 10,000 per month, with 38% earning between RMB 3,000 and
5,000 and 31% earning between RMB 5,000 and 7,000. Most high-income migrant workers are
skilled construction workers, delivery workers, DiDi drivers, housekeeping workers and
maternity matrons in the service industry. In industries and fields where the piecework system
is used as a means of settlement due to the work nature, migrant workers have to work long
hours of overtime for high income, while their income is unstable. The questionnaire was
designed with five consumer spending options: food, clothing, housing, transportation, and
entertainment. More than half of the migrant workers considered food the most considerable
expense, and 23% considered housing the highest cost. 17% considered entertainment and
travel as their significant expenses. 43% spent less than RMB 500 on housing, 24% spent RMB
500 - 1,000, 18% spent RMB 1,000 - 1,500, and 15% spent more than RMB 1,500. Most migrant
workers pay less for housing, and their housing costs account for a lower proportion of their
income. It indicates a great potential for improving migrant workers’ housing affordability.
HOUSING STATUS
Migrant workers usually live in corporate dormitories, prefabricated houses at construction
sites, rented houses and purchased homes. We referred to the findings on migrant workers’
housing by Xi (2022), Ren and He (2022) and Tang (2021). Besides, we queried the indexes of
housing status in the Report on the Monitoring Survey of Migrant Workers 2021 and the
Technical Standard for Performance Assessment of Residential Buildings (GB/T 50362-2005)
(Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2006).
Based on this, we analyzed the current situation of migrant workers’ housing from housing
performance, facilities, community environment, and supporting welfare. It should be noted
that in this paper, migrant workers’ housing refers to their long-term residence in the city, and
it does not distinguish between rental housing and purchased housing.
Firstly, housing performance means the safety of housing construction and the comfort of
living, which is measured by the indexes of housing area, ventilation, light, sound insulation,
and disaster prevention. According to the national monitoring data of migrant workers in 2021,