Editor's Notes: The following  is a case study on employment in Lhasa, capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region. The researcher is Kelsang Drolma, a female Research Associate of Socio-economic Institute of the China Tibetology Research Center. The study was launched in 2010.
 
One of the main income for Tibetan farmers and herdsmen is earned by engaging in non-agricultural industries. Urban economic development in Tibet provides a wealth of employment opportunities for migrant workers and it has also become a major route of Tibet's rural labor employment transfer. In Lhasa, Shigatse and other large cities of Tibet, the employment threshold is not high in many industries. The flexibility of the tertiary industry absorbs a growing number of rural labors, which has become an important channel for their employment in urban areas.
 
Among them, the catering industry has become the most preferred choice for migrant Tibetan rural labors who arrive in the city for the first time.
 
The course of employment of migrant workers in Lhasa in recent years was studied with the survey point of examining Tibetan restaurants there. 
 
Among 100 rural workers in 24 Tibetan restaurants, the majorities are Tibetan women and most of them are from counties of Lhasa and rural and pastoral areas of Shigatse Prefecture and Lhoka Prefecture. The education level of these migrant workers is generally low, mainly only with primary education. Most of them transfer from agricultural production.
 
Urban employment and higher wage or expected income are the fundamental driving force to attract farmers into the city. Maximizing interests of the family also encourages them to accept the household division of labor. As long as they concentrate on making money in the city, most people can not return home to help in the busy season as they are no longer the main workforce in agriculture and husbandry areas.
 
Lhamo, who works in a medium-sized Tibetan restaurant, is one of interview subjects. The 19-year-old Lhamo is from a farming family of seven members at Linzhou County, Lhasa City. In addition to two elderly persons who need a lot of care, there are three children in the family, so her parents live under a lot of pressure.
 
Lhamo's brother has been studying well, so his family, including Lhamo, support her brother to continue learning. Lhamo's younger sister is in elementary school. 
Thanks to the help of friends and relatives, her brother was admitted as a high school student of Beijing Middle School in Lhasa. Now rural children can go to school without paying tuition and fees and the school offers room and board. Lhamo's parents also hope that Lhamo can continue studying with such a good policy, but all family members all depend on the working parents made life hard. So Lhamo found a job in a canteen with the introduction of one of her country fellows. Later she changed her job to a Tibetan restaurant as the salary is higher than the former one.
 
After four years of work, Lhamo was promoted as a front desk cashier as she has good verbal and writing talent. In 2010, she earns 1200 yuan a month, of which she can save about 700 yuan to support her family in addition to spending 200 to 300 yuan for her brother and her own clothing and snack (the restaurant provides room and board).
 
Lhamo is satisfied with her work and life. So do the other 99 migrant workers that received interview.
 
In Lhasa, people can always meet people from other ethnic groups as well as those from foreign countries. Lhamo has experienced harmonious relationships between people from different groups. As far as she is concerned, what is the most important of all is to respect others' habit and custom.
 
Lhamo also said she benefited a lot from the training offered by the restaurant,  and she expected more trainings especially for folk handicraft.
 
In the survey, most migrant workers are found to believe that their income level belongs to the middle level; they are more satisfied with the current living conditions in Lhasa. Most people would also like to work longer in Lhasa and get the relatively higher salaries so that they can support their families.
 
Life in Lhasa has also broadened their horizons and helps them master more techniques, which offers more possibilities for their lives.