Unwrapping the short-term disruptions and long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on China's rural migrant population

Che Lei, Wang Mengran, Du Haifeng and Kam Wing Chan

Chapter 10 in Handbook of Research on Migration, COVID-19 and Cities, 2025, pp 181-195 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Abstract: Strict Zero-COVID regulations and the hukou system negatively affect China's rural migrant workers. This chapter examines the pandemic's impact on migrant workers, focusing on their employment situation, health outcomes, and implications for economic recovery and rural healthcare. We analyze how the hukou system deepens socioeconomic disparities, showing how rural migrants are more vulnerable to economic and health crises. Zero-COVID policies intensified these challenges, increasing COVID-19 risks for migrant workers and causing high unemployment. Then, we show the results from nationwide and survey data on the pandemic's effects on livelihoods and wellbeing, especially for those migrants with rural hukou. We examine the trends of return migration, highlighting the observable movement of people back to their hometowns or smaller cities, driven by economic pressures. This chapter advocates for revising the hukou system and developing policies to reduce socioeconomic inequities for rural migrant workers, which are essential for China's inclusive recovery and social cohesion.

Keywords: Short-Term Disruptions; Long-Term Implications; Rural Migrant Population; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035301225
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