Migrant workers feel more welcome in Shanghai

Migrant workers in China's metropolises have a strong desire to stay in the cities, but those in Shanghai feel more welcomed by locals than those in Beijing, a report showed on Tuesday.

The report by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of Beijing University of Technology is based on a survey of about 1,200 migrant workers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

More than half of all respondents wanted to stay in the cities. The proportion increased to 80 percent of workers who earn more than 5,000 yuan ($813) per month. Shanghai is the most favored destination of the three cities, with Beijing ranking lowest.

Asked if they thought local residents were happy to have them as neighbors, the average score given by Beijing respondents was less than three out of five, indicating a negative perception, while Shanghai respondents averaged higher than three.

Most migrant workers in Beijing do technical jobs, such as working as electricians or plumbers. In Shanghai and Guangzhou, positions related to service and production made up the major proportion.

However, the report shows that most migrant workers in those three cities live in poor conditions. Nearly 60 percent of all respondents said their average housing area is no more than five square meters. In Shanghai, about 86 percent of migrant workers had a living space of less than 10 sq m.

The average monthly salary of migrant workers in the three cities is about 2,500 yuan. In Beijing, renting one room of a standard double-bedroom house within the fourth ring road costs about 1,000 to 1,800 yuan per month. Most migrant workers share a bedroom with four or more people.