China and Labor Webinar Series
The China and Labor Webinar Series brings together scholars and practitioners to share research findings, empirical insights, and practical experiences. It aims to deepen understanding of work and labor politics within China, as well as China’s influence on labor relations in other countries and global politics. It fosters informed discussion and knowledge exchange on issues shaping work and influencing class relations in China and beyond.
Making It After Factory Work: Migrant Workers' Livelihood Strategies and Precarity in the Chinese New Economy
Lu Zhang
Associate Professor of Sociology and Global Studies, Temple University and award-winning author
Friday, April 17, 2026 | 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. EST
3:30–4:30 p.m. CEST/9:30–10:30 p.m. CST
Over the last decade, China’s economic restructuring and industrial upgrading have led to a significant shift in the employment of rural migrant workers. This study examines migrant workers’ livelihood strategies and subjective experiences after leaving factories in China’s new economy, in the context of China’s industrial restructuring, the rise of the platform-based gig economy, and rural revitalization
