计划经济年代，工人在国家保护网下处于政治和经济优势地位，但随着社会主义市场经济由理论到实践的转变，失去保护网的工人逐步沦为相对利益受损群体，大面积失业更使得工人的政治、经济地位急剧下降。工人由改革前的社会主流群体、政治强势群体转变为弱势群体，这种变化对工人的政治和社会生活都产生了重大而深刻的影响。辽宁是最早进入、最晚退出计划经济的省份。在社会主义市场经济体制目标确立之前，或者更确切地说，在大规模国有企业改革之前，辽宁工人几乎都被国有和集体企业所容纳，享受着终身就业的铁饭碗，与干部相差无几的工资待遇，拥有“从摇篮到坟墓”生老病死的福利保障以及优越的社会地位，是实实在在的工人“老大哥”。然而，90年代中期以后，由于工业部门比重大，国有大中型企业众多，市场转型慢等特点，老工业基地辽宁在市场经济体制改革深化时期，特别是国有企业改制时期遭受到了巨大的冲击，经济迅速下滑、企业大面积亏损、破产，工人大量下岗。尽管下岗工人其后大多在社会上找到了新的位置，可从他们身上折射的诸如人生命运转折、社会地位下降等问题却无法改变。工人们承受了市场经济改革的阵痛和代价，从过去人人羡慕的工人“老大哥”到今天“困难群体”的代名词，其生活发生了巨大的变动。这种变动反映的不仅仅是一个阶层的变化，更折射了我国在现代化的过程中在制度设计、政策安排、政府角色以及组织功能等方面存在的问题。全文除结语外，共分为七章。第一章在梳理国内外文献的基础上，主要阐述了论文的选题意义、国内外研究现状、本文的基本内容、研究方法和创新之处。第二章主要概述了三个问题，即工人的范围、辽宁工人的特征以及体制改革与辽宁工人的命运。目前学术界对工人的界定有很多不同的看法，本章就本文所要探讨的工人范围进行了界定，分析了辽宁工人在重工业部门比重大及下岗工人多的特征，并就经济体制改革过程中辽宁工人的变化进行了简要概述。第三章主要考察了经济体制改革前后，辽宁工人的就业结构、就业方式等职业生活发生的巨大变化，着重讨论了工人从终身就业到打破铁饭碗的历程，从第二产业向第一、三产业流动的就业结构和原因，以及从主人翁到“忍性就业”增多的疑惑与无奈。第四章考察了社会主义市场经济体制确立和发展过程中，辽宁工人的家庭收支、居住条件、婚姻和家庭、社会交往、养老和医疗保障、子女养育及就业观等家庭生活的变动。第五章探讨了社会主义市场经济体制确立和发展过程中，辽宁工人的经济地位、政治地位及职业声望的变动。第六章分析了在社会主义市场经济体制确立和发展的过程中，辽宁工人“单位”观的转变，以及心态上所经历的从自豪到自卑、从依赖到自立的巨大转变。第七章考察了辽宁农民工的就业状况、生活状况、社会对农民工的态度以及新旧农民工心态。最后的结语部分，提出在市场经济确立和发展过程中，工人生活的变动既是制度变迁的结果，也折射了在现代化过程中的若干问题。

In period of the planned economy, workers had been in the status of political and economic advantages under the national protection network. But during the market transition from theory to practice, the workers who lost their protection net have been a relative interests impaired groups. The vast unemployment makes their status in the politics and economy declined sharply. The transition that Workers from the mainstream and the politically powerful group of society before the reform to vulnerable groups had a significant and profound impact on the political and social life of the workers.Liaoning is the province that the first entry and the latest to exit the planned economy. Before the objectives of building the socialist market economy system has been established, or more precisely, before large-scale state-owned enterprise reform, the workers of Liaoning almost all were accommodated by state-owned and collective enterprises. They enjoyed the iron rice bowl of lifetime employment, the same wage levels with the cadres, "from cradle to grave" welfare and high social status. So they were called “Big Brothers". Since the mid-1990s, the drawbacks of the economic system had been exposed. In the period of the deepening of the reform of the market economy system and especially state-owned enterprise reform, Liaoning as the old industrial base was impacted tremendously, such as decline of the economy, bankruptcy of many enterprises, and a large number of laid-off workers. Despite the most laid-off workers found new locations in the society, the problems from them such as fates turn, decline in social status can not be changed. Workers beard the pains and costs of market economic reforms. Before workers were "big brothers", and now they are "difficult groups".It should be said that the lives of workers has been changed. This change reflects the problems that our country in the system design, policy arrangements, the role of government and organizational functions in the process of modernization.The full text is divided into seven chapters except the conclusion. The first part chapter focuses on the significance of the topic, research status, the basic research methods and innovations. The second chapter summarizes the three main problems, namely the scope of the workers, the characteristics of workers in Liaoning, the fate of the workers as well as structural reform. Academic have many different views on the definition of workers. The chapter explores the definition of workers in the scope of this paper, analyzes sector characteristics of the workers of Liaoning, such as workers in the heavy industry sector than significant, major laid-off workers, and summarizes changes of workers of Liaoning in the process of economic reform. The third chapter examines the great changes of the workers of Liaoning in the employment structure, employment patterns before and after the reform of the economy system. The chapter focuses on the course of the workers from lifelong employment to break the iron rice bowl, the flow from the secondary industry to the first and tertiary industries, as well as confusion and helplessness from the masters to “tolerance employment”. The fourth chapter investigated household income and expenditure, changes in living conditions, marriage and family, social interaction, pension and medical care, parenting and employment outlook of the workers of Liaoning in the process of establishing the socialist market economy system and development. The fifth chapter examines changes in the economic status of workers in Liaoning, political status and occupational prestige in the process of establishment and development of the socialist market economy system. The sixth chapter discusses the changes in "Danwei" concept of workers of Liaoning, as well as experience on the state of mind from pride to self-esteem, huge shift from dependence to independence in the process of establishment and development of the socialist market economy system. The seventh chapter mainly investigated the employment situation of migrant workers, living conditions, social attitudes towards migrant workers, as well as old and new migrant workers mindset in Liaoning. Finally, the conclusion presented in the process of establishment and development of market economy ,workers' lives change of workers′ not only the results the system changes, but also reflects a number of issues in the process of modernization.