China’s first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse.

At 53, Guan Junling is too old to get hired at factories anymore. But for migrant workers like her, not working is not an option.

For decades, they have come from farming villages to find work in the cities. Toiling in sweatshops and building apartment complexes they could never afford to live in, they played a vital role in China’s transformation into an economic powerhouse.

As they grow older, the first generation of migrant workers is struggling to find jobs in a slowing economy. Many are financially strapped, so they have to keep looking.

“There is no such thing as a ‘retirement’ or ‘pensions’ for rural people. You can only rely on yourself and work,” Guan said. “When can you stop working? It’s really not until you have to lie in bed and you can’t do anything.”

She now relies on housecleaning gigs, working long days to squirrel away a little money in case of a health emergency. Migrant workers can get subsidized health care in their hometowns, but they have little or no coverage elsewhere. If Guan needs to go to hospital in Beijing, she has to pay out of pocket.

As China’s population ages, so are its migrant workers. About 85 million were over 50 in 2022, the latest year for which data is available, accounting for 29% of all migrant workers and up from 15% a decade earlier. With limited or no pensions and health insurance, they need to keep working.

  • @phoneymouseEnglish
    1•9 months ago

    No but China is run by the communist party. I would’ve thought an organization like that would have had a plan for ensuring everyone can retire. That is the point of my comment… these Chinese do not seem like true communists. But, no one likes to hear that on Lemmy because everyone licks the boots of Xi apparently.

    • @PsychodelicEnglish
      3•9 months ago

      That’s a lot to unpack/reply to. lol

      All I’m saying is I don’t think you should use China as metric for communism. Again, that’d be like calling North Korea democratic simply because they named themselves that.

      I’m not a communist, but I think I understand it enough to say China isn’t communist. And when I say China isn’t communist, I’m saying the policies their government implements are not founded in communist political ideology, which again means something and has been studied by people for a really long time.

      • @phoneymouseEnglish
        3•9 months ago

        I’m not using China as a metric for communism, I’m calling out that Chinese communism is not achieving the goals of what I think a communist country would be trying to achieve. I don’t think we disagree.