Social Network Influences on Non-Agricultural Employment Quality for Part-Time Peasants: A Case Study of Sichuan Province, China

Abstract

In recent years, the issue of employment quality for workers has received increasing attention from the government and academia. As a social resource, a social network can provide people with social support and help job seekers find better jobs by transmitting the information on job opportunities. However, currently, there are few empirical studies on employment quality from the perspective of social networks. Based on data from 194 samples from 400 households in Sichuan Province in 2015, this paper constructs an employment quality index system from the six dimensions of labor wages, working time, employment stability, employment environment, career development, and social security. In addition, from the perspective of the structural features and the overall characteristics of the social network, OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) and the path analysis model are used to quantitatively explore the mechanisms of action paths of the social network in terms of the non-agricultural employment quality of part-time peasants. The results show that: (1) the social network scale and the relative network of part-time peasants are found to positively affect employment quality. (2) Age, gender, and education level have indirect impacts on the employment quality loop through network heterogeneity and network scale. In addition, network heterogeneity and health status indirectly impact employment quality through a network scale. (3) By synthesizing the direct and indirect impacts, the comprehensive impacts of each factor on employment quality, in decreasing order, are: village–county distance > village terrain > family population > network scale > education level > skill > network heterogeneity > health status > age > gender. The results suggest that we should pay attention to the role of social network resources in improving employment quality, and should implement various measures to expand peasants’ social networks, so as to achieve high-quality employment.

Social Networks, Trust, and Disaster-Risk Perceptions of Rural Residents in a Multi-Disaster Environment: Evidence from Sichuan, China

“…By these means, 16 sample villages were obtained in all. Finally, in each sample village, 20–23 rural households were randomly chosen with reference to a roster and random number chart [ 33 , 34 , 49 ]. According to the survey, there are a total of 1145 disaster-threatened households in 16 selected villages.…”

“…From the perspective of strong connection and weak connection, “Spring Festival Greeting Networks” reflects the unique manifestation of social networks in China and has been used as a common way of measuring social networks in recent years [ 68 , 69 ]. In view of this, the number of relatives and friends who paid New Year greetings by calling or visiting in the Spring Festival of 2018 was selected to measure the scale of residents’ social networks [ 34 ]. Secondly, since the samples selected in this study were rural residents, most of whom were engaged in agricultural activities or types of work other than as teachers, doctors, civil servants, and other public servants in public institutions, the number of public servants among residents’ relatives and friends was selected to measure the heterogeneity of their social networks.…”

“…[ 20 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Social networks are a form of social resource that can provide people with social support [ 34 ]. Especially in mountainous rural areas with relatively isolated information, social networks can become the carrier of disaster-risk information, affecting individuals’ thinking and judgment regarding disaster risks, and thus continuously adjusting residents’ perceptions of disaster risks [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

Does off-Farm Migration of Female Laborers Inhibit Land Transfer? Evidence from Sichuan Province, China

“…Its GDP was 36,980 billion yuan, and its total agricultural output was 40.42 billion yuan. Since the mountainous and hilly terrain area of Sichuan province accounts for about 90% of the total area, the land is not conducive to large-scale agricultural operations [61,62].…”

Community Empowerment Based on Local Potentials Through the Creation of “Cassava Nugget” Products in Dukuh Binangun, Werdi Village, Paninggaran District

“…In a difficult economic situation like today with a decreasing level of employment opportunity and a tendency to increase in poverty and unemployment, it is necessary to take concrete action to overcome these problems. One of them is the community empowerment program [14]. This program is carried out to create a more prosperous, advanced, and independent society.…”