Job Mobility and Subjective Well-Being among New-Generation Migrant Workers in China: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Trust

Abstract

New-generation migrant workers refers to those born in 1980 or thereafter, who become the majority of rural–urban migrants. New-generation migrant workers in Chinese cities are struggling with a lack of urban resources, which may lead to low well-being. On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 203 new-generation migrant workers, we used a multiple regression analysis to study new-generation migrant workers’ well-being and the mechanism underlying the effect of job mobility on well-being. The job mobility scale, interpersonal trust scale, and Affect Balance Scale were used. Results showed that job mobility was positively correlated with new-generation migrant workers’ subjective well-being and interpersonal trust, and interpersonal trust was positively correlated with subjective well-being. Interpersonal trust mediated the effect of job mobility on subjective well-being. In conclusion, job mobility can bring some benefits to new-generation migrant workers, that is, job mobility may increase their subjective well-being by increasing their interpersonal trust.

Cross-sectional study of factors affecting the receipt of mental health education in older migrants in China

“…In the early stages of migration, the older migrants have a lower level of social adjustment and the stress of the external environment can have a greater impact on their psychological well-being. Zhang confirmed in his study that the length of time since migration positively predicted positive mood [ 45 ]. Liu also found that older migrants who had migrated more than 10 years prior reported better subjective well-being than they had experienced in their place of origin [ 46 ], and over time, the unfamiliar environment’s barriers to adaptation gradually decrease, the level of social integration continued to increase, and their mental health improved [ 47 ].…”

Does improving basic public health services promote household consumption of rural migrant workers? Evidence from China

“…Intergenerational difference is an important perspective in the study of rural migrant workers. Previous studies have divided rural migrant workers into two groups, the “old generation” and the “new generation,” based on whether they were born before or after 1980 ( 51 ). The “old generation” typically has lower levels of knowledge, skills, education, and weaker health conditions compared to the “new generation” ( 52 ).…”