Employer-provided housing and upskilling: evidence from Japanese manufacturing plants in China
Abstract
This study is set against the backdrop of manufacturing shifts towards higher value-added production, rising urban living costs, and changing aspirations among younger migrant workers in China. It examines the material and social relevance of workplace-based housing for training access, skill recognition, and career mobility opportunities. The empirical analysis draws on comparative case studies of four Japanese-invested manufacturing plants in Eastern China. The findings highlight that employer-provided accommodation is not merely a spillover site of workplace control and resistance, but a focal point of workers’ contestation over managerial narratives of upskilling.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Labor Movements and Unions
China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
Global trade
sustainability
and social impact
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Work in the Global Economy
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 253–272
- Publication date
- 9 February 2026
- Language
- EN