2016 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 39-59
In this study, the author attempts to clarify the manner in which rural enterprises have developed in Fujian Province, China and to identify the characteristics of rural employment in the province by analyzing data on a rapidly developing town located in the inland areas. The main research methods used were a face-to-face interviews with plant managers and town officers, and a questionnaire survey administered to workers.
Since the mid-1990s, rural enterprises in inland regions of Fujian Province have developed rapidly. Analysis of the Jian'ou City case indicated that large-scale factories that were originally township and village enterprises are now playing an important role in rural enterprise development. These factories process local agricultural resources and successfully approach domestic and international consumer markets with the help of partner enterprises in coastal urban areas. Such factories obtain most of their workforce from nearby rural areas and also draw workers from relatively distant areas both inside and outside Fujian Province. This is an important factor supporting the continuous development of large-scale factories in recent years.
The age of workers at these factories ranges from 20 years to 50—a wide range—because they perform various roles such as managers, technical workers, office workers, and production processing workers. Their wages differ depending on their role. Managers, technical workers, and office workers in the study area have relatively stable incomes; therefore, their households have a strong tendency to withdraw from agriculture. On the other hand, the wages of production processing workers vary significantly. This variation has significant impact on their involvement in agriculture. Some such workers in their 30s and 40s were observed to have a tendency to withdraw from agriculture because they have obtained a relatively high income in the study area. However, in the case of other such workers, especially those having a lower income or an abundant supply of agricultural labor, parents and spouses play a crucial role in their households' continuous engagement in commercial farming.
