BEIJING — After years of trying to make it in cities, China’s migrant workers are returning home.
An aging population, high living costs and new businesses like livestreaming e-commerce are contributing to the reversal of a rush to big cities that has defined China’s economic expansion over the last few decades.
Millions of Chinese people did not go back to urban areas for work after the coronavirus pandemic last year, official data show. As of the end of March, the statistics bureau said there were still 2.46 million fewer migrant workers than the same period in 2019.
“Rural-urban migration already slowed before covid and had its first decline in 2020,” said Dan Wang, Shanghai-based chief economist at Hang Seng China.
“Reverse migration will pick up pace in coming years, partly because [the workers] cannot afford city housing and do not have access to city healthcare,” Wang said. A major factor she pointed to is aging — the share of migrant workers over 50 has more than doubled over the last 12 years to 26%.
Read More at https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/reverse-migration-is-picking-up-in-china-as-workers-leave-big-cities.html
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