China's Rural Labor Force Transition and Challenges

This paper contributes to the assessment of China's rural labor markets and con jectures about the future of rural education.According to our household survey data,we find that the rapid increase in off-farm employment that China experi enced during the 1980s and 1990s has continued and may have even accelerated dur ing the first seven years of the 2000s.Our analysis shows that migration has b ecome—by far—the most prevalent off-farm activity.There are,however,also increasing numbers of workers that are entering the off farm labor market by bec oming self-employed.While a relatively lower proportion of the older cohorts work full time off the farm,it is safe to say from these figures that the labor transition from the agricultural sector to the non-agricultural sector for key segments of China's rural labor force is nearly complete.These findings can be useful in illuminating China is facing urgent challenge to escape the middle-income trap and educate the rural labor force in the near future.