Poverty alleviation through labor transfer in rural China: Evidence from Hualong County

Poverty-stricken areas in rural China are generally rich in working-age population, but lack of employment opportunities. Therefore, poverty alleviation through labor transfer (PALT) has become an important way to reduce poverty in rural China. This study employs the sustainable livelihoods framework to explore how labor transfer can help the poor fight against poverty based on document analysis and field investigation, and takes Hualong County of Qinghai Province as an example to analyze the specific practice and performance of PALT. The results show that labor transfer not only increases the per capita livelihood capital of the remaining population and optimizes the human-environment relationship but also helps the poor escape the background of vulnerability and achieve stable employment. To promote poverty alleviation based on the local conditions, Hualong County have established a PALT practice system, which guides the poor to more advantageous places to engage in hand-pulled noodle production and operation and related industries, and successfully achieved the goal of eliminating poverty. Ultimately, this article proposes that the Chinese government should implement targeted measures to improve the practice of labor transfer, and global poverty alleviation efforts should pay more attention to localized educational systems, regional economic development and international labor cooperation.