Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2012, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3): 98-128.

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Disembedded Employment Relationship and Turnover Intention of PeasantWorkers：Based on a Survey of PeasantWorkers in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta

Author 1： Sun Zhongwei, School of Sociology and Anthropology,Sun Yatsen University；
Author 2： Yang Xiaofeng, Lingnan College, Sun Yatsen University.   

  • Online:2012-05-20 Published:2012-05-20
  • Contact: Sun Zhongwei, School of Sociology and Anthropology,Sun Yatsen University E-mail:szw.1211@163.com
  • Supported by:

    The research was supported by the project “Protecting Rights of PeasantWorkers:Theories and Practices”(09JZD0032) and “Institutional Construction of Protecting Rights of PeasantWorkers in the Urbanization Process”(11YJC840007) sponsored by Philosophy and Social Science Foundation from China’s Ministry of Education.

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Abstract:

Since 2004, labor shortage has become prominent and it is the reality that China’s economy must face. Under this condition, it is of great significance to discuss the turnover intention of peasantworkers, an area that has been virtually not studied yet. This study was based on the survey of more than 2,000 peasantworkers in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta in 2010, conducted jointly by the Department of Sociology and Social Work of Sun YatSen University and the Department of Sociology of Shanghai University. The focus of the study was to discuss the turnover intention of peasantworkers according to the perspectives from the theory of job embeddedness. Our analysis revealed that 65.4 percent of the peasantworkers intended to leave in the next five years, with the second generation of peasantworkers having a higher intention to leave, those in the Pearl River Delta wanting more to leave than those in the Yangtze River Delta, but married couples, especially when both in the same city, having lower intention to leave. What had led to the peasantworkers’ desire to leave？The logit regression model found that job embeddedness had a significant effect on peasantworkers’ intention to leave. To be specific, the higher the connection between the job and nonjob areas, fitness, and investments, the lower turnover intention of the peasantworkers. Putting the job embeddedness theory and the reality of the Chinese peasantworkers’ employment relationship together, this paper concludes that the current peasantworkers’ employment relationship is of disembedded nature. The paper further tries to describe the definition, dimensions, and consequences of disembedded employment relationship, which is seen in the three aspects of work, communities, and institutions. Specifically, this means that the subjects, forms, and contents of employment relationship are no longer constrained by the interpersonal relationships, organizational structures, or institutional arrangements inside the workplace; nor by the social connections across communities and cities, cultures, social structures, or public services outside the workplace. These are the main reasons for the high turnover intention and turnover rates of peasantworkers.

Key words: peasantworkers, turnover intention, employment relationship, job embeddedness