Migrant numbers swell, equaling almost half the district population
By Hu Min |
May 28, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Minhang District's population of nonresidents has tripled to 1.2 million in the last 10 years, putting it almost on par with permanent residents, according to recently released results of last November's census.
Permanent residents now outnumber migrants by only 20,000. The migrants have flooded into the district to work and support families back home in less prosperous parts of China.
Minhang's total population doubled in the last decade to 2.42 million, making it the city's second fastest-growing district and its second most populous, the Shanghai Statistics Bureau said.
Within Minhang, the Meilong area chalked up the largest population at 344,434.
The rapid influx of new residents has been created by the district's vigorous economic growth in recent years, said Lu Hanlong, a sociologist with the Shanghai Academy of Social Science.
They come from other parts of China or outlying areas of Shanghai, seeking job opportunities and higher pay in construction, factories and service industries, often in Minhang's mushrooming industrial parks and technology zones, Lu said.
Their swelling numbers change not only the composition but also the outlook for the district.
The increase of mostly younger workers helps alleviate Minhang's labor shortage and eases the problems of an aging society, but it also creates pressures on infrastructure, education, medical care, transport and housing, Lu noted.
Pension insurance for migrants needs to be improved, and strategies for the development of medical care facilities, entertainment venues and schools that are now based on old administrative boundaries need to be refocused on where people are actually living and what services they need, Lu said.
Infrastructure to cope with the increased population needs to be stepped up, he added.
Shanghai has lowered its threshold for out-of-towners to apply for hukou, or permanent residency status.
Almost 83 percent of Minhang's population is aged between 15 and 64 years, according to the census. Those 65 years and older account for 7.8 percent of the population, down almost four-fifths of a point from the 2000 census and nearly two percentage points lower than the citywide average. While the pace of the aging population has slowed in Minhang, that's countered by an extremely low birth rate of 0.83, Lu said. The situation can lead to an eventual shortage of labor and a smaller pool of young people to support the costs of elderly services.
Males account for 51.85 percent of the district's population, meaning there are about 89,900 more men than women.
The figures don't necessarily mean that single men will face difficulties finding partners, but if the imbalance worsens in the future, it could lead to social problems among people at marriageable ages, according to Lu.
Permanent residents now outnumber migrants by only 20,000. The migrants have flooded into the district to work and support families back home in less prosperous parts of China.
Minhang's total population doubled in the last decade to 2.42 million, making it the city's second fastest-growing district and its second most populous, the Shanghai Statistics Bureau said.
Within Minhang, the Meilong area chalked up the largest population at 344,434.
The rapid influx of new residents has been created by the district's vigorous economic growth in recent years, said Lu Hanlong, a sociologist with the Shanghai Academy of Social Science.
They come from other parts of China or outlying areas of Shanghai, seeking job opportunities and higher pay in construction, factories and service industries, often in Minhang's mushrooming industrial parks and technology zones, Lu said.
Their swelling numbers change not only the composition but also the outlook for the district.
The increase of mostly younger workers helps alleviate Minhang's labor shortage and eases the problems of an aging society, but it also creates pressures on infrastructure, education, medical care, transport and housing, Lu noted.
Pension insurance for migrants needs to be improved, and strategies for the development of medical care facilities, entertainment venues and schools that are now based on old administrative boundaries need to be refocused on where people are actually living and what services they need, Lu said.
Infrastructure to cope with the increased population needs to be stepped up, he added.
Shanghai has lowered its threshold for out-of-towners to apply for hukou, or permanent residency status.
Almost 83 percent of Minhang's population is aged between 15 and 64 years, according to the census. Those 65 years and older account for 7.8 percent of the population, down almost four-fifths of a point from the 2000 census and nearly two percentage points lower than the citywide average. While the pace of the aging population has slowed in Minhang, that's countered by an extremely low birth rate of 0.83, Lu said. The situation can lead to an eventual shortage of labor and a smaller pool of young people to support the costs of elderly services.
Males account for 51.85 percent of the district's population, meaning there are about 89,900 more men than women.
The figures don't necessarily mean that single men will face difficulties finding partners, but if the imbalance worsens in the future, it could lead to social problems among people at marriageable ages, according to Lu.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
