Return Migration, Occupational Change, and Self-Employment The Case of Wuwei County

After two decades of rural-to-urban labour exodus, an increasing trend of urban-to-rural labour counterflow has also occurred in China*. This paper discusses the economic performance of return migrants with data from a survey conducted in Wuwei County in 2008. We identify the characteristics of return migrants, record their occupational change patterns, and examine their current self-employment activities. A comparative approach with non-migrants is used throughout the paper.