As the Lunar New Year approaches, the Year of the Dragon, the lively scene of migrant workers returning to their hometowns has been reported in various places. However, it is interesting to note that the number of Spring Festival passengers in Chinese mainland in 2024 has decreased compared to previous years. Some scholars are puzzled by this phenomenon, especially the sharp decline in the number of migrant workers returning to their hometowns in 2024, showing a gradually weakening "return to their hometowns".
Here, we want to dive into the possibilities. First of all, it is not difficult to find that with the changing times, rural migrant workers no longer have a single way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, they can choose to go home to celebrate the Spring Festival, or they can stay in the city to continue their work. As a result, many migrant workers no longer have to return to their hometowns as migratory birds on the eve of the Spring Festival to reunite, and then return to their hometowns to continue working like migratory birds. Of course, this change reflects some important factors for the disappearance of the wave of migrant workers returning to their hometowns in 2024.
First of all, going home means a lot of financial pressure. For example, in 2023, many industries are facing an unfavorable environment, and the wages of many rural migrant workers have decreased, and some have even failed to earn a decent income. However, if they choose to go home for the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon, they may have to face various banquet invitations from the village, and may also give gifts as a sign of courtesy, or give red envelopes to their juniors as a token of appreciation. As a result, even a small amount of savings they have accumulated over the past year can be depleted in just a few days. Therefore, many peasant workers' unions chose to stay in the city for the Spring Festival in anticipation of this large expense, and gave up the idea of going home.
Secondly, they still need to face greater psychological pressure when they are away from home. Compared with the past, today's migrant workers often cannot experience that simple happiness when they return to their hometowns to reunite with their families. The reason for this is that after returning home, they often need to face familiar inquiries from neighbors, friends, etc., such as, "How is this job?" How much money can I make each month? Once you answer honestly, you may feel a little ashamed; If you look at him left and right, it will inevitably seem too deliberate. So, instead of being burdened with such pressure, it is better to avoid these familiar people. In addition, blind dates that are common in rural areas during the Spring Festival are designed to help young men and women solve their marriage problems, but now their results are gradually shrinking. Many young people are forced by their families to participate in such activities. However, for young people who are worried about being pressured to go on a blind date in their hometown, or who don't want to be tied down, they may choose to spend this special holiday in the city.
Finally, a significant number of migrant workers chose to stay in the city and continue to work until the end of the Spring Festival. This group of people is mainly distributed in catering, manufacturing, construction and other industries. On the one hand, they choose to stick to their posts because employers usually give them New Year's gifts and invite them to Chinese New Year's Eve. On the other hand, it is precisely because of the increase in overtime wages and allowances during the Spring Festival that they are more willing to work hard for it. As a result, a small number of migrant workers choose to stay behind during the Spring Festival, looking forward to reuniting with their loved ones after the holiday.
Since the beginning of 2023, our country** has gradually relaxed its strict control measures against the epidemic. With the adjustment of this series of policies, the city's job market has shown a more severe situation. Many migrant workers struggle to find job opportunities, but they still fail to find a position that suits their talents and skills. Therefore, many migrant workers who work hard in the cities have chosen to return to the countryside to seek new development opportunities. They choose to either start their own business and run a small business; Or work in a township factory to alleviate the pain of being separated from your family.
Based on the above background, it is not difficult to see that the number of migrant workers entering the city for employment last year has decreased significantly compared with previous years. In this year's Spring Festival, we can also observe that the number of people who return to the countryside for the Chinese New Year has also decreased. At the same time, due to poor business conditions, some companies even let employees go home for the Chinese New Year in advance, resulting in many migrant workers already on the way home a few weeks ago. As a result, we are no longer able to see the mass movement of these people during the Spring Festival.
So, what are the significant changes in this year's Spring Festival** compared with the past? The significantly lower figures give a clear answer – the "return to the hometown" of migrant workers is not as large as expected. At this time, some friends must have questions: Is it because of the family's financial difficulties and lack of money to go home for the New Year that this "homecoming tide" has disappeared? However, this is not the case.
In fact, the main reasons why some migrant workers do not want to go home for the Chinese New Year include high Chinese New Year expenses and heavy living pressure. On the other hand, a considerable proportion of migrant workers choose to stay in the city and work overtime during the Spring Festival to get more income. Of course, there are also some migrant workers who have already returned to the countryside for development or have already spent the New Year holiday in their hometowns. Therefore, we cannot conclude just by seeing what we see in front of us"The reality of the disappearance of the "homecoming wave" is far more complicated than what we see.