Housing provision for rural-urban migrant workers in Chinese cities: the roles of the state, employers and the market

In Chinese cities, about 1.45 million migrant workers stay away from their home villages for longer than six months. The total will reach 230 million if those who work less than six months outside their home villages are also included (National Bureau of Statistics PRC 2010). The scale of migration has put huge pressure on urban housing. Apart from a few local exceptions, little state effort has been dedicated to improve migrant housing for a long time