Influential factors in employment location selection based on push-pull migration theory-a case study in Three Gorges Reservoir area in China

In China, farmers employed in non-farm work have become important socio-economic actors, but few studies have examined the farmers' perspective in making their work location choices. Based on push-pull migration theory, this paper utilizes sectional data from a 2013 survey of farmers in China's Three Gorges Reservoir area to empirically analyze the factors influencing migrant workers' choice of employment location. The results indicate that 60.46% of laborers have migrated from their home province, whereas 39.54% have remained in their home province. Focusing on personal, household, and community characteristics-in addition to the economic characteristics of the sample counties-multinomial logistic regression models reveal that farmer-laborers' employment location decisions are influenced by their personal capital endowment (age, years of education and social networks), family structure (the number of laborers, elders, children and students), home village characteristics (location, economic development level and the degree of relief of the land) and home county economic development level. Notably, male and female laborers' location decisions reveal a converging trend, and their differences are not pronounced. Per capita arable land area has little influence on location decisions, whereas the educational level of laborers has a significant impact. The results differ significantly from those found in previous studies.