Flexible job providers should fulfill their social responsibility

At a recent news briefing, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said the number of flexible jobs in China－including private employment, part-time employment and new forms of employment－has reached 200 million.
Flexible employment has increasingly become an important way for people to raise their incomes, especially since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to a report recently released by the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China, 55.68 percent of Chinese enterprises adopted a flexible employment model in 2020, up 11 percent year-on-year.

In its executive meeting on May 12, the State Council, China's Cabinet, announced specific measures to further support flexible employment.
In recent years, new forms of employment created by internet platforms such as takeout, express delivery and online car-hailing services have become a large part of the overall flexible employment sector. Such flexible jobs have played a positive role in increasing employment and improving urban residents' lives.

Society is also paying greater attention to the protection of such workers' rights and interests, as they are not adequately protected against occupational injuries. This is because the takeout platforms outsource their work, denying protection to the workers under labor laws. Many believe these platforms must sign a labor contract with the deliverymen to ensure their labor rights and interests are protected.

While these opinions highlight the importance of better protecting the rights and interests of flexible workers, they ignore an important premise. If takeout riders and couriers become official employees of the companies they work for, then such services will no longer be called flexible jobs. However, that does not mean deliverymen cannot become official employees of the platforms, or that there is no need to strengthen the protection of their rights and interests. It only means that there is no conflict between guaranteeing the rights and interests of those flexible employees and maintaining the nature of the platforms.

To promote flexible employment, we should define the responsibilities of platform enterprises, allow them to diversify risks by purchasing insurance, and prompt insurance companies to appropriately transfer profits through policies. The government should continue to increase support for flexible employment, and platform enterprises should earnestly fulfill their social responsibilities.