Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Second National Agricultural Census
National Bureau of Statistics 

February 27, 2008

Rural Labor Force Resources and Employments

The Second National Agricultural Census conducted surveys on rural labor force resources and employments. Now the main results are published as follows:

I. Total number and structure of rural labor force resources

At the end of 2006, the total number of rural labor force resources amounted to 531 million persons. Of which, that of male and female laborers was 269,890 and 261,110 thousand persons, respectively occupying 50.8 and 49.2 percent.

Of the total rural labor force resources, the number of that aged below 20 years was 69,470 thousand persons, occupying 13.1 percent; that of between 21 and 30, 31 and 40, and 41 and 50 years reached 91,840, 126,790 and 110,210 thousand persons, respectively accounting for 17.3, 23.9 and 20.7 percent; and that of above 51 years stood at 132,690 thousand persons, with the proportion of 25 percent. 

Of the total rural labor force resources, the number of illiteracy stood at 35,930 thousand persons, occupying 6.8 percent; that of having degree of primary school, junior and senior secondary school was 173,410, 263,030 and 52,150 persons, respectively accounting for 32.7, 49.5 and 9.8 percent; and that of having college degree and above reached 6,480 thousand persons, with a proportion of 1.2 percent.

Table 1 Total number and composition of rural labor force resources

The number of rural employed persons reached 478,520 thousand persons, occupying 90.1 percent of the total labor force resources. Of which, that of persons employed in primary, secondary and tertiary industry respectively accounted for 70.8, 15.6 and 13.6 percent.

Table 2 Total number and constitution of rural employed persons

II. Migration of rural laborers

The number of rural migrant workers was 131,810 thousand persons. Of which, that of male and female laborers reached 84,340 and 47,470 thousand persons, respectively accounting for 64 and 36 percent.

The number of migrant workers that aged below 20 years, between 21 and 30, 31 and 40, 41 and 50, and 51 years and over respectively seized 16.1, 36.5, 29.5, 12.8 and 5.1 percent.

The proportion of illiteracy, primary school, junior and senior secondary school, and college degree and above among migrant workers respectively was 1.2, 18.7, 70.1, 8.7 and 1.3 percent.

Table 3 Total number and composition of rural migrant workers

The proportion of rural migrant workers that employed inside county while outside township, inside city (region) while outside counties, inside province while outside city (region), and outside province respectively was 19.2, 13.8, 17.7 and 49.3 percent.

The proportion of rural migrant workers that employed in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries respectively arrived at 2.8, 56.7 and 40.5 percent.

Table 4 Statistics on migration and employment of rural migrant workers

Notes:

1.       Rural labor force resource: refers to the resident population of rural households at 16 years old and over, and possess the work abilities at the end of 2006 (that is, population living in the household more than 6 months).

2.       Rural migrant worker: refers to employed personnel of rural households’ residence who engaged for one month and above outside of the subdivision or district of local town and township under the administrative jurisdiction in 2006.

3.       Four regions: eastern region includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan. Central region covers Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan. Western region includes Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang. Northeastern region covers Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang.