Failing Farmers Flock To The Factory Floor

Learning to assimilate

Despite the program's efforts to find the best matches, it's still a challenge to keep workers. Shenzhen took 201 new rural workers during the pilot program, but the number had fallen to 126 by August, according to the assessment report.

Sunwoda, a battery manufacturer in Shenzhen, hired 41 workers from the program, but only 28 remained by September. A lack of familiarity with factory life was the main reason the workers returning home, according to Li Zhangyi, Sunwoda's director of human resources.

"Unlike the flexible working hours on a farm, factory life is routine and rigidly scheduled," he said. "Half of the dropouts had no previous experience of working in a factory, so it was difficult for them to adjust."

In response, Yunxi organized training courses to teach prospective migrant workers about etiquette, working environments and rights awareness in Shenzhen.

Changsha, a popular destination for Hunanese workers, opened telephone hotlines, websites and social media platforms to provide counseling and ask workers about their employment status.

Xiangxi established service centers throughout labor destination cities and offered assistance in data collection, job transfers and labor-rights protection. "We want our workers to feel like they are at home when working in foreign places," said Shi Yaohua, the head of Xiangxi's human resources and social security bureau.

Companies also provided daily necessities, city tours and gatherings to help new workers assimilate.

Ding Xiuli, 44, became a cleaner at Shenzhen's Western Felicity Hotel after attending a job fair in Yunxi. She recalled the day the company took her to see the ocean for the first time. "It was so beautiful and I had the time of my life," she said. "Now, I feel like I really belong here."

Contact the writer at zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn