China's migrant workers see steady income rise in 2024

 China's migrant workers earned higher wages and experienced improved living standards last year, according to a survey released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

In 2024, the total number of migrant workers in the country reached 299.73 million, an increase of 2.2 million from the previous year, representing an increase of 0.7 percent, according to the survey.

The average monthly income of migrant workers rose to 4,961 yuan (about 689 U.S. dollars) in 2024, up 3.8 percent year on year. Those working outside their hometowns earned an average of 5,634 yuan per month, up 3.5 percent, while those working within their registered townships saw a slightly faster wage growth of 3.9 percent, with average monthly earnings reaching 4,291 yuan.

The tertiary sector, which includes industries such as retail, logistics and hospitality, continued to dominate migrant worker employment in 2024, accounting for 54.6 percent of the workforce, a 0.8 percentage point increase from 2023. Meanwhile, the share of workers in the secondary sector, including manufacturing and construction, declined by 0.8 percentage points to 44.7 percent.

Quality-of-life indicators also showed notable improvement. The average living space for migrant workers in urban areas increased to 24.7 square meters per person, up by 0.7 square meters from 2023. Access to education for their children improved significantly, with preschool enrollment rates for children aged three to five rising by 3.6 percentage points to 94.5 percent, and 99.8 percent of school-age children enrolled in compulsory education, up 0.1 percentage points.

Migrant workers refer to rural residents with agricultural household registration engaged in non-agricultural work locally or outside their hometowns for six months or longer annually. ■