Many Chinese workers travel abroad in the hope of finding better employment opportunities with higher pay. However, the challenges and pressures that they face abroad make them think seriously if they made the right choice.
Through the years the catering industry, retail trade, construction and the decoration industry have been the primary options of China's overseas workers. However, the said industry sectors have a low market entry threshold, therefore workers from China are faced with increasingly tougher competition from workers from other countries each year.
The high cost of traveling abroad, coupled with low and unstable incomes, all contribute to the great pressure that migrant workers have to live with.
Policy changes also pose as risks to migrant workers. The U.S. now has a new regulation from the IRS implemented on Jan. 1, 2014 requiring restaurants to pay taxes on tips from diners. Li, an employee in a restaurant says that his earnings will be greatly affected by the regulation but they have no choice but to comply.
Aside from policy changes, migrant workers from China also have to exercise vigilance in taking care of their lives and properties. Several unfavorable incidents last year caused harm to both overseas Chinese workers and migrant workers.
To protect their rights and to find better opportunities, China's migrant workers are advised to stay in touch with the Chinese Embassy and concerned departments of overseas labor in the country where they are in.
They should likewise maintain regular communication with other workers from China, learn more about their rights and take the necessary action to reduce or avoid risks they face.
Chinese migrant workers going abroad should also familiarize themselves with and exert effort to understand the customs, laws and regulations of the country they will be staying in. They should likewise acknowledge cultural differences and try to blend with the local society to improve their position, according to lawyers working in related fields.