Labor Ministry Officials Remove Regulatory Barrier to Migrants Seeking Work in Cities

October 4, 2006

The Ministry of Labor and Social Services (MOLSS) has issued a migrant rights handbook (2005 edition) that says that MOLSS will not require migrants to obtain a work registration card in their place of origin before they seek jobs in urban areas, according to a September 26 Xinhua article. The requirement to do so had been in place since 1994, and limited migrant employment prospects and allowed local authorities the discretion to charge migrants additional fees, according to a September 26 article published on the Yangcheng Evening News Web site.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Services (MOLSS) has issued a migrant rights handbook (2005 edition) that says that MOLSS will not require migrants to obtain a work registration card in their place of origin before they seek jobs in urban areas, according to a September 26 Xinhua article. The requirement to do so had been in place since 1994, and limited migrant employment prospects and allowed local authorities the discretion to charge migrants additional fees, according to a September 26 article published on the Yangcheng Evening News Web site.

In December 2004, the State Council issued a directive to eliminate discriminatory measures that limit employment prospects for migrants in urban areas. The MOLSS handbook appears to be implementing this State Council directive.

The handbook also says that the MOLSS expects local governments to take gradual steps to provide migrants with some access to certain types of government benefits, such as worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, and health care. In practice, government restrictions limit migrant access to public services such as health care and education, by linking these public benefits to each individual’s household registration (hukou) status. For more information, see the Freedom of Residence and Travel resource page.