The Interplay of Migrant Workers’ Working Hours, Income, and Well-Being in China

Abstract

There is a history of overwork in China, and regulations to protect workers are insufficient. This study explores the relationship between working long hours and self-rated health among rural-urban migrant workers in China. Survey data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is used to construct a simultaneous equation model, and the 3SLS method is applied. The results showed that: (1) Migrant workers had good health. However, overtime work is very common among migrant workers in China, and male migrants work more overtime. (2) Migrant laborers’ health and income are causally related, with better health leading to higher income. In contrast, the compensatory effect of income by extending working hours on health is smaller than the damage caused by overtime work for the male migrants who have more severe overtime work, resulting in a negative income effect on health. (3) The incentive effect of income on labor supply and the positive interaction effect of increasing labor hours to increase income are only reflected in the standard labor time sample. Therefore, for the heavy overwork group whose working hours have already reached the limit, income increases can no longer motivate them to extend their labor hours. Therefore, provincial and national policy transformations are needed to regularize working hours and remuneration while maintaining individual health.