An increasing number of migrant workers consider themselves urban residents after improvements in their standard of living, and fewer of them have moved back to rural areas, according to a report released Wednesday by Global Call to Action Against Poverty in China.

The report studied the income, social security, and the training of 2,600 migrant workers in Beijing, as well as in Guangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Guansu and Hubei provinces.

The report was co-written by Fan Lei, an assistant professor with the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Some 8.27 percent of migrant workers who have purchased commercial houses in towns or counties identify themselves as urban residents, while 1.8 percent of those who have no property shared the same identity, the report said.

"Though the figures can't represent the overall situation in China, it reveals that migrant workers obtain a sense of identity by improved living conditions, not by certain policies," Fan told the Global Times Wednesday.

Fan said the research showed an increase in migrant workers moving to cities in hopes of becoming urban dwellers instead of making "instant money."

"The government is responsible for providing equal opportunities when migrant workers wish to move to cities," said Wang Chunguang, another researcher at CASS.

The average monthly salary of migrant workers in big cities has risen from 100 to 200 yuan (US$14–28) in the late 1970s to 1000 - 1100 yuan (US$146–161) in 2008, the report said.

Meanwhile, representatives from 32 NGOs discussed how they might better help the workers to get benefits from supporting policies.

Mao Yushi, an economist, called for the government release of employment rates along with the GDP.

(Global Times January 7, 2010)