By Ma Jun, Ma Yuan & Gao Taishan, Research Team on “Anti-monopoly and Fair Competition for Internet Platforms”, Enterprise Research Institute, DRC

Research Report, No.172, 2021 (Total 6237) 2021-6-25

Abstract: Internet platforms adopt digital technologies to reach real-time, precise match between the supply and demand of the labors, so that the labor force in different places can be coordinated and organized through this new, flexible form of employment. At present, 70 million people in China get employed through Internet platforms, making online employment an important channel for job hunting. This new form of employment is created through these cyber platforms, but the means of specific operation are still under the influence and restraint of institutional arrangements for enterprises, employment and taxation. There are three forms of on-line employment: natural person employment, labor outsourcing and dispatch, and online self-employment, each having its own scope of application. Online employment is a major trend of the digital transformation. It has also brought up challenges for traditional systems in industry and commerce, taxation, social securities, employment, and platform supervision. Accelerating institutional innovation for sound development of the new online employment form is conducive to improving China’s employment quality and enhancing the overall competitiveness of our enterprises.

Keywords: online employment, institutional innovation, Internet platforms