The Employment Landscape of Older Migrant Workers in China's Aging Society: The Role of City-Level and Industry Specialization

As China's population ages, a rising number of older migrants continue to seek urban employment. This study examines how city-level development and industry specialization shape their employment prospects. Using individual- and city-level data from 2015 to 2017, we find that older migrant workers are more likely to secure jobs in lower-tier cities than in top-tier metropolises like Beijing or Shanghai. This pattern is driven by industry specialization, especially in construction, which creates dense local labour markets and offers wage premiums. These conditions align with older migrants' characteristics: lower education, limited pension coverage, and a stronger preference for wages over housing quality. Our findings provide new insights into aging, labour migration, and urban labour market structure in China.