No place like home for migrant workers

Applicant numbers falling

Now, the boom time is over. The decline in the number of people who plan to work overseas has also been witnessed in Zhenjiang city, Jiangsu province, which, along with Qingzhou, was one of the places where residents frequently moved to look for work overseas.

Statistics from the city's International Travelling Healthcare Center, which provides health checks for residents who apply to work overseas, show that applicant numbers fell by 10 percent in the first quarter of the year.

The reasons include concerns about diseases, such as the ebola virus, in some African countries, and the suspension of a number of construction projects, according to Feng Jinxiang, the center's director.

"Concerns about a stable future life with their family members and the rise in wages in China are prompting more young people to stay at home," Feng said.

"The wages paid to Chinese workers overseas are no longer the lowest in the international market, and the younger generations, those born after the 1980s and 1990s, do not value working overseas as highly as previous generations."

In the first quarter of this year, China's per capita disposable income stood at 7,815 yuan, a year-on-year rise of 6.6 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Per capita disposable income has risen to 10,781 yuan in urban areas and 4,226 yuan in rural areas, rises of 5.7 percent and 6.8 percent in real terms, respectively.

Last year, the average monthly income of rural people who moved to large cities in search of work was 3,450 yuan, a year-on-year rise of 5.3 percent. The government aims to double per capita incomes of both urban and rural residents by 2020, from 2010 levels, to build a moderately prosperous society.

Wang Peiyun, a consultant with the Shandong Lexin Labor Force Exportation Co, said the number of people in the province moving overseas for work witnessed a significant decline between 2008 and 2012 as domestic wages almost doubled during the period.

"China's stable economic condition and the booming new industries, such as the internet and internet of things, are prompting more young people to stay at home," he said.

"As a result of preferential policies from the government, including financial support and tax breaks, many young people are now becoming inspired to run their own businesses in innovative industries."

Contact the writer at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn