Working Away From Home

According to Ci Disheng, former Vice President of the Party School of the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xinjiang currently has a labor surplus of more than 2 million people. Various local governments are planning to provide language and other professional training for the local people who wish to make their fortunes in central and eastern regions of China. Migrant work promotes local economic development and raises incomes, Ci said.

"Particularly for people in south Xinjiang, it is possible to make more money working outside the region. Therefore, promoting migrant work has become an important strategy for all county-level governments in south Xinjiang," Liu said. He also called on local governments to adopt measures to help workers moving out of the region to avoid conflicts caused by cultural, religious and linguistic differences with the native people of their new regions of residence.

"In the future migrant work will not only be an effective way to boost income, but also to promote ethnic unity, facilitate communications between ethnic groups and ensure harmony," Liu said.