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Xinyi Wu

China has vowed to better protect the country’s vast gig-economy workforce, as an economic slowdown leads millions of people to sign up for delivery, ride-hailing and other informal jobs on online platforms.
The 12-point plan – issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet, and the Communist Party’s powerful Central Committee – pledges stronger labour protections for “new employment groups”, or gig workers, across a number of areas.
The document calls for timely and fair wage payments, a stronger social security system, enhanced labour protections during extreme weather, and greater transparency in how platforms’ algorithms allocate orders, price fees and set time limits, among other measures.
The authorities set a target of ensuring labour practices were standardised across the platform economy by 2027, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
China’s gig economy has exploded in recent years, as workers turn to flexible employment amid a shaky job market that has led to widespread lay-offs and salary cuts. More than 27 per cent of China’s workforce, or over 200 million people, are now in gig work, according to official data.
But the country’s major technology platforms have faced a wave of complaints in recent years over the low pay, lack of protections and punishing schedules their workers often face.
“The platforms’ commission rates are too high,” said a ride-hailing driver surnamed Niu. “Many drivers have to scrimp and save just to recoup the cost of [maintaining] their vehicle.”
Some platforms charge a double commission – including a flat fee and a percentage of the fare – meaning that drivers may be left with just 5.1 yuan (US$0.75) after completing a 3km (1.9-mile) journey that cost a passenger 8 yuan, according to Niu.
“I earn between 130 and 150 yuan from being online for 10 hours a day, and that’s before deducting charging costs and other expenses,” said Niu, who is based in Mengzi, a small city in China’s southwestern Yunnan province near the Vietnamese border.


He added that the platforms had not done enough to stop unlicensed vehicles from taking orders, and that their generous driver referral bonuses had further saturated an already overcrowded market.
Another driver surnamed Wu, who is based in the eastern megacity of Hangzhou, said he could earn about 40 yuan per hour on a good day, though the fees for many orders were unreasonably low. He added that platforms were often too quick to penalise drivers in the event of a dispute.
“Not every complaint should be decided in the passenger’s favour – sometimes we should take the driver’s perspective into consideration as well,” said Wu. One time, he was even penalised for making an extra stop that the passenger had requested, he noted.
Beijing’s new framework seeks to address these imbalances, calling for improved dispute resolution mechanisms and requiring platforms to handle appeals more fairly.
It also pledged to tackle the vicious price wars that platforms – particularly food delivery services – have engaged in over recent years, which can harm workers’ incomes by offering customers extra-low fees.
Chinese delivery riders recently took to social media to protest against platform updates that prevent some riders from viewing order destinations until they turn their status to “online”, effectively forcing them to accept orders before they have had a chance to check they are logistically and financially reasonable.
China’s urban youth unemployment rate edged up to 16.9 per cent in March, according to official figures, as secure full-time graduate roles remain scarce.
The jobless rate for those aged 25 to 29 also rose to 7.7 per cent, the highest rate recorded since the metric was revised to exclude students in late 2023. The overall urban unemployment rate stood at 5.4 per cent.


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The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown


The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown.


China outlines new labour protection plan for nation’s 200 million gig workers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown

The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown