The Impact of Jobs Outside One's Hometown and Left-Behind Family Members on the Return Intentions of Migrant Workers: A Multi-Dimensional Comparative Analysis

In the process of leaving one's hometown for work, migrant workers face the problem of family separation, resulting in a large number of left-behind children, women, and elderly. The separation between the "jobs" and "family" of migrant workers makes them consider not only their "jobs" but also their "family" when making mobility choices. However, few existing studies have conducted in-depth multi-dimensional comparative analyses on return intentions from the perspectives of "jobs" and "family" at the same time. Drawing on data from the 2014 and 2016 "Migrants' Dynamic Monitoring Survey" and case interview data, using a mixed research method of quantitative and qualitative research, starting from Neoclassical Economics (NE) and the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM), and based on multi-dimensional comparative analysis, this study discusses the impact of jobs outside one's hometown and left-behind family members on the return intentions of migrant workers. Results indicate that such jobs decrease migrants