Summary (English)

More than 270 million people, accounting for 35 per cent of the national labour force, have migrated from their rural villages to urban cities in China. Due to a series of expansionary measures of the social protection system in China – particularly the expansion of the minimum living standard guarantee (Dibao) to all rural and urban poor and the introduction of subsidized health insurance and pension schemes for urban and rural residents – the social protection coverage of rural migrant workers has significantly improved in recent years. More rural migrant workers are also progressively included under the social insurance for urban workers (SIW), which provides them with more comprehensive and higher levels of protection.