Spatial mismatch in Beijing, China: Implications of job accessibility for Chinese low-wage workers

• The research found a significant mismatch between jobs and housing among low-wage workers in Beijing.
• The jobs-housing mismatch was particularly pronounced for workers without local hukou.
• The degree of jobs-housing mismatch increased when account was taken of access to transit.
• Blue-collar workers experienced higher levels of mismatch than pink-collar workers.

The spatial mismatch literature has historically been U.S.-centric. This paper offers a theory of how spatial mismatch may have become a growing problem in China. The research uses Beijing, China as a case study to empirically examine the magnitude and geography of spatial mismatch across low-wage workforce segments. It finds a significant jobs-housing mismatch among low-wage workers in Beijing, particularly for blue-collar workers and workers without local hukou (registered permanent residence). The degree of spatial mismatch increases after accounting for worker access to transit. The results indicate that spatial mismatch in Beijing is more due to a greater dispersion of workforce residences than job locations and a central city-focused public transit system incapable of serving the dispersed low-wage workforce. The research findings suggest that Chinese cities should be more strategic in where they build affordable housing and where they make future transit investments.