"Young and underemployed: The new face of China’s gig economy,"

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In China, this group of workers, who do not have fixed jobs and take on different gig jobs daily, are respectfully referred to by netizens as “daily wage gods” (日结大神). They adopt a casual approach to work — taking jobs when they want and resting when they do not — wandering around the outskirts of major cities, free to leave or stay as they please.  

While “daily wage gods” is a new concept, the history of gig work in China dates back to the 1980s. After the reform and opening-up period, more than 100 million migrant workers flooded into cities, while those who could not secure jobs in factories or construction sites gradually entered the gig economy...

For some, gig work is a way to supplement their income. For others, it is a helpless option for survival...

Over the past two years, China’s economic downturn and sluggish manufacturing sector have further dragged down wages for gig workers.

Several gig workers told Lianhe Zaobao that in previous years, before the Chinese New Year, they could earn 400–500 RMB per day. Even last year, when the job market was weak, they still managed to get 270–280 RMB. meaning...

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Zhang Chenggang, an associate professor with the School of Labor Economics at the Capital University of Economics and Business and director of a research centre for new employment forms, said the conditions of gig workers reflect the reality faced by the lowest-tier labourers in China’s workforce today.  

... On the one hand, companies must adjust staffing levels based on orders; on the other hand, as labour costs rise, businesses are increasingly using flexible employment strategies to cut expenses.

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