By Zhang Liang, Research Team on “Employment and Labor Mobility in the New Era”, Research Department of Social Development, DRC

Research Report No. 48, 2017 (Total 5123) 2017-4-26

Abstract: It is an important policy measure to encourage rural migrant workers to start businesses in their hometowns. Such a move could enable them to find jobs in or close to their hometowns, increase their income and shake off poverty. In recent years, both the central and local governments have adopted a number of policy measures to shore up rural migrant workers’ efforts in making startups in their hometowns and these measures have achieved remarkable results. However, research findings show that there still remain some problems calling for urgent solutions, including the shortage of startup capital, the lack of targeted training, the inefficient implementation of supportive policies, the deficiency of talents and the insufficient service provision. As a result, the government needs to open up more investment channels so as to increase more financial support to rural migrant workers who have returned to their hometowns; develop programs in line with local demands on making startups and strengthen the relevance and effectiveness of entrepreneurial training; encourage local governments to establish service coordination mechanism for returned rural migrant workers and enhance the entrepreneurial management services; take multiple measures to solve the issue of deficient talents; boost government efforts through various channels and innovative means to bolster rural migrant workers’ entrepreneurship drive; and establish an assessment mechanism on the formulation and implementation of supportive policies.

Key words: return hometown and make startups, policy environment, rural migrant workers