MODERN LIFE: Two young migrant workers with distinctive hairstyles look for work at a job market in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, on March 3 (JIANG KEHONG)

According to NBS statistics, the new generation of migrant workers earn an average of 1,243 yuan ($181.99) a month while spending 478 yuan ($69.99), a consumption ratio of 38.5 percent, while that of their parents is only 28.6 percent.

Future

In the government work report delivered last March, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised to improve the employment service system and strengthen vocational training, with a focus on increasing the employability of migrant workers and new members of the workforce in urban and rural areas.

In February, the China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security jointly launched a project to provide professional training to 12,000 workers in Beijing this year.

Besides government efforts, enterprises should also take more responsibility for training young migrant workers, said Su Liqing, former President of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. "If they just focus on cheap labor, one day the workforce will vanish."

Meanwhile, according to the "No.1 Central Document," China will ease the restrictions around permanent residence permits in county seats and townships so that more rural residents can move in and enjoy the same rights and public services as original urban residents.

The Central Government will also encourage city governments to allow migrant workers, who have stable jobs and have lived in the cities for a certain period of time, to join in urban housing programs.

In the future, migrant workers will also be included in the basic medical insurance and pension program in cities, according to the document.

"Reform of the household registration system is crucial to solving the dilemma of these young migrant workers," said Su. "However, a system that has existed for more than 50 years cannot simply be cancelled overnight. Government officials need to work out more ways to help younger workers solve their most urgent needs, either through creating more jobs, raising the minimum wage or enhancing social security."

For a start, the Central Government should relax residence registration rules in small and medium-sized cities, said Gu. China has only 655 cities, and its 2,800 counties can be folded into cities with population of 100,000 to 300,000. Many migrant workers can become urban residents this way. In small cities, the government can encourage migrant workers to start their own businesses, and provide incentives such as tax breaks and small loans.