The Study On The Survival Conditions And The Social Exclusion Of The Floating Workers

With the speeding up of the reform and openning process, China’s economic and socialtransform from planned economy to market economy gradually, and the economic structurealso transform from a single economic system to multiple economic system. With the change ofthe society, the emergence of the new things and new social group flourish the market and meetthe needs of the public. The floating workers are a special social group born in the period of thesocial transition in China, they are the inevitable result of the market economy. The floatingworkers active the market economy and provide convenience for residents, alleviate theemployment pressure of the city at the same time, add a further development opportunity to thedevelopment of the city. Although the floating workers bring a lot of convenience, toinconvenience urban traffic and environment, and facing every aspect of social exclusion. Dueto low degree and lacking of labor skills, the floating workers are less able to take risks,gradually become urban socially vulnerable groups in the flow outside the market system.Changing the condition of the floating workers is particularly important to advocate justice,build a harmonious socialist society and promote social harmony and development.Based on the floating workers as research objects, this paper mainly adopts the methodof questionnaire and semi-structured interview (with qualitative study is given priority to,supplemented by questionnaires) to collect related data. By the analysis of the basic livingconditions, the employment conditions, the economic situation, the social interactionconditions, the condition of spiritual and cultural life, the status of political participation, andthe social security of the floating workers, explore all kinds of social exclusion the floatingworkers facing in the social life. And from the system level, community level and individuallevel to analysis the causes of the social exclusion, then from the government, communities,social organizations and individual four put forward feasible suggestions to improve the livingsituation of the floating workers, in order to improve the quality of life of the floatingworkers.According to the survey, the survival condition of the floating workers has a lot ofproblems: the low level of the education, lacking of labor skills, lacking of resources andchance; long working hours, poor working conditions, strong liquidity, no chance of promotion, just sell their labour force and so on. The study also found that:(1) The floatingworkers encountered social exclusion in the process of employment.The floating workers intohave less chance enter the level of the labour market, due to the low level of education, thelack of labor skills, they can not reach the level of the labour market conditions, and lack ofcompetitiveness in the job market. The job market is more likely to be eliminated and againsthim. They only enter the secondary labor market in where they have the low wages, poorworking conditions, employment instability and poor welfare.(2) Because of the domicilenature, the nature of work, the social prejudice or custom factors and so on, the floatingworkers’s original social network flow is destroyed, the new social network relationship isdifficult to maintain, and difficult to obtain the supporting from the government, communityorganizations, enterprises and other official in social networks.The number of contacts andexchanges frequency decreases with colleagues, friends and neighbors in the city, difficult toget their support in case of suffering.(3) Although working and living in the city, the floatingworkers have differences with the citizens in life style, cultural concept and the sense ofidentity and belonging urban community’s.(4) the non-floating workers never participate in orrarely participate in political activities, lacking of the formal organizations on behalf of theirown interests, the interests of the representative and expression channels and ways. They can’t exercise their own voice, become "the political edge person". The floating workers isdifficult to into the community. Therefore, improve the living conditions of the floatingworkers is more conducive to the harmonious development of society as a whole.