New generation of migrant workers

More and more people born in the 1980s and 1990s are entering the migrant worker labor force. Employers have noticed this new generation is quite different from the previous in its ideas, concepts, expectations and dreams.

Looking for a job, salary is the key.

This is most true for migrant workers. But unlike their predecessors who care almost only how much cash they can bring home, the new generation of workers has other considerations.

For them, living conditions, leisure time, and social security are as important as the salary itself.

A migrant worker said, "We share a room with more than ten people. We hope for a room with four or six.""No spare time, no time for dating.""Some factories don't have insurance, we want to work in ones that do. "

And there is something even more important.

Migrant worker Liu Wei said, "The most important thing is prospects, is there room for your future development."

Young workers are now better educated than their peers and are not satisfied with routine work.

Migrant worker Guo Xiangyang said, "I don't want to work in factories, I would like to find a job in sales. The working hours are too long and the package isn't very good. "

It's no wonder some employers are now finding it harder to recruit young workers who are becoming more choosey.  

Yu Faming, official of Ministry of HR & Social Security, said, "There are many migrant workers in the new generation, especially those born after the 1990s. They don't just want to make some money, they want to get more involved in society, broaden their views, improve themselves and they have more spiritual and cultural demands. "

For the older generation of migrant workers, they are in the cities just to make some money. Younger people now think differently.

Migrant worker Guo Xiangyang said, "I hope I can make more money in the next few years and live in the city, the environment and conditions are better. I hope I can have a life like people from the cities. "

To live in cities may not be the goal for all of the new generation of workers, but no one wants to go back to their father's lifestyle. 

Employers may complain and reminisce about the good old days when migrant workers were less demanding, but the reality is they will have to face younger workers who are more sophisticated and rights-conscious.