US EditionChina Outlines New Labour Protection Plan for Nation’s 200 Million Gig Workers
The rules require platforms to pay at least local minimum wage and stop sending orders after workers reach set hourly limits.
- The Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council issued comprehensive labour rules for gig workers on Sunday, the first time the party's highest authority has formalised protections for more than 200 million people who deliver food, drive cars, and livestream products.
- Beijing's strategic pivot toward domestic consumption requires 200 million workers in flexible employment to earn enough to spend, particularly as youth unemployment stood at 16.5% in December 2025 and more than 12 million university graduates are entering the job market in 2026.
- Platforms like Meituan and Alibaba must now negotiate algorithms controlling task assignment and pay with labour unions, making the code governing a rider's income a subject of collective bargaining rather than a company secret.
- The mandate requires enterprises to pay at least the local minimum wage and enforce maximum working hours after which platforms must stop sending orders. Algorithm transparency when policies affect pay or task assignment is now mandatory.
- A 2027 compliance deadline gives platforms 18 months to restructure labour relationships and social insurance contributions, testing whether the intervention produces structural change or merely another round of corporate pledges that dissolve into algorithmic business-as-usual.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Chinese state media: China formalizes gig worker rules for online platforms, calling for standardized contracts, fair pay, and stronger labor protections (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Chinese state media: China formalizes gig worker rules for online platforms, calling for standardized contracts, fair pay, and stronger labor protections — China formalized its first comprehensive policy framework for “new employment groups,” including delivery riders and livestreamers …
China bolsters gig workers’ protections
Beijing formalized labor rules for gig workers on online platforms, including delivery drivers and livestreamers, as the sector takes on a larger role in China’s economy.The guidance, which requires tech companies to provide fair pay and stronger protections, signals “a shift from ad-hoc regulation to normalization of the platform economy,” Bloomberg wrote.Beijing has stepped up scrutiny of delivery apps in particular in recent months as a tough…
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