Child labour in China
Can Tang, Liqiu Zhao & Zhong Zhao
#2016-036
We present the first systematic study on child labour in China. Child
labour is not a negligible social phenomenon in China; about 7.74% of
children aged from 10 to 15 were working in 2010, and they worked for
6.75 hours per day on average, and spent 6.42 hours less per day on
study than other children. About 90% of child labourers were still in
school and combined economic activity with schooling. Our results show
that child labour participation is positively associated with school
dropout rate. A child living in a rural area is more likely to work.
Compared with place of residence, the gender of a child is less
important. The educational level of the household head and its
interaction with the gender of the household head seem to be
unimportant. However, household assets per capita and household
involvement in non-agricultural activities are negatively related to the
incidence of child labour. A child from a household with more adults is
less likely to work. The prevalence of child labour in China exhibits
significant regional variations. The child labour incidence is
correlated with the development level of each region: the Western region
has the highest percentage of child labour, followed by the Eastern and
Central region.
JEL Classification: J43, J81, O15
Keywords: Child Labour, School Dropout, Working Hours, China