During campus breaks, Xiao Tang, a university student from Hebei province, takes to Beijing's streets as a ride-hailing driver. A driving enthusiast, he has turned his time off campus into a source of income and a tangible sense of autonomy. "I enjoy it. It gives me control over my time," he said.

His experience is a snapshot of a much larger trend. "Young people across China are increasingly turning to digital platforms for work, forming the backbone of the country's expanding 'new forms of employment'," said Zeng Yanbo, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Sociology.

"New forms of employment" are distinct from traditional full-time work, referring to jobs where tasks are matched, assigned, managed and compensated via internet platforms, such as online service provider Meituan, ride-hailing platform Didi and short-video app Douyin.

More than 70 percent of such workers are aged between 18 and 35, according to Zeng. "Young people are drawn to these jobs mainly for the low entry barriers, the quick settlement of income, and the freedom to set their own schedules," she said.

As this workforce continues to grow, the country has introduced a series of policy measures designed to safeguard these workers' rights, improve services and steer the high-quality development of the sector.

In April, the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a set of policy measures on strengthening service and management for new employment groups. Experts said that this marks the first central-level policy framework dedicated exclusively to platform-based workers.

They added that it signals a decisive shift for China's digital economy — from a phase of rapid expansion to a new stage of standardized development that balances innovation with labor dignity and security.

According to a survey on China's workforce in 2023, the country has approximately 84 million workers engaged in new forms of employment, accounting for 21 percent of its total workforce. Projections indicate the figure may surpass 100 million this year.

"The new employment group is an important component of China's workforce and an indispensable force for socioeconomic development. It has now become a crucial pillar of the job market," said Zhang Dandan, a professor of economics and vice-dean at Peking University's National School of Development.

Li Yan, 37, from Yuncheng in Shanxi province, has spent a decade delivering food in Beijing. For most of those years, he worked as a freelance courier on major platforms, appreciating the flexible hours but lacking any form of employment security.

A pivotal shift came in March of last year, when he joined e-commerce company JD as a full-time delivery rider.

Despite it currently being a low season for orders, Li said he still earns around 8,000 yuan ($1,180) per month. Beyond the pay, a transformative benefit has been his enrollment in a social security program, with JD covering the employer's mandatory contribution and subsidizing employees' personal contributions. For Li, this security has become a tangible foundation for his future. He said he is committed to building a long-term career with the company, with plans to stay until retirement.

While individual stories highlight the search for security, the sector's overall vitality remains robust. A recent report by Jinan University's Institute for Economic and Social Research in Guangdong province and recruitment portal Zhaopin showed job postings in new forms of employment rose 15.1 percent year-on-year in 2025, while job seekers rose 11 percent year-on-year, with over 80 percent of positions offering monthly salaries between 8,001 yuan and 15,000 yuan.

For years, the explosive growth of platform jobs, hailed for creating employment, outpaced the development of corresponding safeguards. "The core challenge lies in the mismatch between a new, flexible employment model and a social protection system designed for traditional, stable jobs," Zhang said.

The newly issued policy document provides a comprehensive, two-phase blueprint to bridge this gap. The primary goal is to standardize labor practices and ensure robust rights protection by 2027, followed by the establishment of a sound service and management system within the next three to five years.

It has urged internet platforms and express delivery companies to set reasonable wages for workers based on work tasks and labor intensity, and to ensure full and timely payment. Another pillar of the reform is bringing transparency and accountability to the algorithms that govern such work. Platforms are now required to disclose rules for order assignment, pricing, assessment and penalties, according to the document.

While the policy direction is clear, experts caution that its implementation faces deep-seated economic challenges. Zhang identified income as the primary, underlying concern. "For riders, the core issue is earnings from each delivery," she said.

Citing a widespread belief that any new cost levied on platforms — for social insurance subsidies or safety incentives — will be passed down to workers, Zhang said, "Real, sustainable security for workers must be built on a foundation of adequate earnings in the first place."

Alongside safeguards, she stressed that it is essential to introduce measures that curb cutthroat competition and strictly prevent the infringement of workers' rights and interests.

Yin Yu, a senior partner at Guangdong-based Guanghe Law Firm, urged lawmakers to expedite dedicated legislation to protect the rights of workers in new employment forms.

She told Legal Daily that the next critical step is to translate the proven measures outlined in the policy document to binding legal statutes. This legislation, she said, should systematically define the nature of employment relationships, the rights and obligations of all parties, liability divisions, and regulatory oversight responsibilities, thereby solidifying the institutional safeguards for this workforce.

Zeng emphasized the urgency of establishing comprehensive skill standards and structured promotion pathways for delivery riders and similar professions. She advocated benchmarking against the technical worker grading system, a strategic move aimed at elevating these roles from temporary positions to viable lifelong careers.

This transformation, she noted, is essential for providing workers with long-term growth opportunities and fundamentally reshaping the perception and stability of platform-based employment.

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn