Rising home ownership among Chinese migrant workers: determinants and differences between cities

Abstract

Traditionally, Chinese migrant workers are housed in dormitories or in the private rental sector. In recent years, however, an increasing proportion of the migrant workers has managed to become home owners. This paper further analyzes this trend, which may signify a new phase in the Chinese urbanization process. After a review of the existing literature, we carry out a statistical analysis (binary regression modelling) on the China Migrants Dynamic Survey, thereby focusing on twenty cities in the Yangtze River delta urban region. For these cities, we determine the micro-level (characteristics of individual migrants) as well as of the city level (city size, local migration policies, housing market development) determinants of migrant home ownership, and we assess how these determinants have changed between 2012 and 2017. This will provide insight into changing housing pathways of Chinese migrant workers, and the interaction of these pathways with local policies .