More skill training for migrant workers urged

The government should provide young migrant workers with more training workshops and access to information to help them better adapt to society and qualify for better-paying jobs, a deputy to the National People's Congress suggested.

"Different from their fathers' generation, the young migrant workers in China, who came to the urban areas in pursuit of a city dream instead of just working for money to support the family, have more spiritual needs," said Yi Fengjiao, an NPC deputy from Guangdong province and also assistant workshop superintendent from Shenzhen Electronics Co Ltd.

"Many of them are better educated, acceptant of new skills and willing to learn, and the government should further tap the potential of this group of people."

Most of the new generation of migrant workers in China's urban areas were born in the 1980s and 1990s and are a major force in the labor market.

According to Yi, the women's federation in Shenzhen has offered several workshops to provide skills and etiquette training for the female employees, many of them migrant workers.

The training has been well received by the more than 850,000 female employees who have benefited from the training, she said.

Yi also suggested online training to reduce expenditures.

"Many migrant workers have the need for advanced studies for a better-paid job and to better integrate into society," she said.

Additionally, Yi recommended that companies set up wireless technology in the dorms of workers from younger generations to give them better access to information and skills-learning and as a way to combat loneliness.