Settlement intention of migrants in urban China: The effects of labor-market performance, employment status, and social integration

There is growing scholarly interest in settlement intention of migrants in urban China. But little is known about how settlement intention of migrants is shaped by their labor-market performance, employment status, and social integration. Using the structural equation modelling approach, this paper attempts to reveal the trajectory from migrants' labor-market performance to their decision to stay at destinations. Based on the survey data collected from 8 Chinese cities, we found that migrants' labor-market performance positively influences their settlement intention. The impact tends to be more influential for migrants in wage-employment and self-employment groups. For these two groups, the impact consists of direct effect and indirect effect. Perceived labor-market performance, social relation, sense of belonging, and group identity mediate the relationship between labor-market performance and settlement intention. For migrant entrepreneurs, there is only indirect effect of labor-market performance on settlement intention. The results support that the advantage in economic status could break the institutional barrier in migrants' settlement. But for the low-income-level group, the role of individuals’ economic status in shaping their settlement intention is strengthened by the hukou system. Findings point to the significance of adopting distinguished steps to promote settlement intention of migrants for different employment groups. • There is group heterogeneity in settlement intention. • Labor-market performance positively influences settlement intention. • Perceived labor-market performance and social integration play mediating roles. • The advantage in economic status could break the institutional barrier to settlement. • The role of economic status is strengthened by hukou system in the low-income group.