Traditional labor and employment theories argue that workers can strive for better working conditions through the “exit-voice” mechanism. However, for a long time, constrained by information barriers, migrant workers have exhibited low willingness to “exit” and limited effectiveness in “voice”, resulting in pronounced difficulties in safeguarding their labor rights. Currently, the rapid development of digital information technology helps migrant workers break through information barriers, which is expected to reshape their bargaining power and thereby facilitate the protection of their legitimate labor rights.

Based on data from the China Labor-force Dynamic Survey and utilizing the “Broadband China” policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper employs a DID model to examine the impact of digital information technology on the working conditions of migrant workers. The results reveal that digital information technology significantly improves the working conditions of migrant workers. However, this positive effect is less pronounced under the conditions of advanced age, lower education, buyer-dominated labor markets, incomplete social security systems, and weaker labor supervision, with a limited optimization effect on working hours. Mechanism testing indicates that digital information technology reduces the difficulty of reemployment for migrant workers, raises their expectations for working conditions, and thereby strengthens their “exit” deterrence. At the same time, it enhances migrant workers’ awareness of rights, facilitates their access to rights protection channels, and increases their participation in labor unions and self-organized groups, thereby amplifying their “voice” effectiveness. Consequently, through the “exit-voice” mechanism, digital information technology reshapes migrant workers’ bargaining power, “forcing” employers to improve their working conditions.

Therefore, the following aspects should be achieved: First, strengthen the construction of network infrastructure in underdeveloped areas, lower the threshold for migrant workers to access smart terminals, and conduct digital skills training for elderly and less educated migrant workers, so as to enhance their accessibility to digital information technology. Second, build authoritative and standardized online employment platforms, rectify false recruitment and intermediary chaos, and improve employment services and skill training systems, so as to reduce the difficulty of reemployment for migrant workers and enhance their “exit” deterrence. Third, incorporate corporate infringement into the social credit system, encourage the role of labor unions and social organizations, and strengthen labor supervision and collaborative law enforcement, so as to expand the effectiveness of migrant workers’ “voice”.