In mainland China, as unemployment continues to worsen across various industries, a growing number of individuals are turning to work as food delivery riders. Despite the gruelling nature of the job, its low entry barrier makes it an attractive option for many unemployed individuals facing desperate circumstances. However, with China’s economy struggling, delivery riders’ incomes have shrunk, and the pressure on them has intensified.
One delivery rider expressed his frustration, mentioning that he works tirelessly from morning till night, earning just over 200 yuan (about $27). He noted that it was already 8:00 p.m., and he still had numerous future responsibilities, such as buying a car, a house, getting married, and having children. He felt overwhelmed by the chaos of these obligations and believed that it was no longer about effort, but rather a predetermined path they were destined to follow.
In major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, delivery riders face particularly challenging employment conditions. For instance, one rider described the situation in Shanghai as overwhelming, with a 3 km delivery earning a mere three yuan (approximately 40 cents) per order. The job comes with constant risks of traffic accidents, fines, or unexpected issues. The workforce is diverse, including young women in their 20s, top university graduates, older individuals, and retired military veterans who struggle to find employment elsewhere. Despite the low pay and high risks, there are not enough orders to go around, leaving many riders idle even during peak times like the lunch rush.
In Beijing, the political centre of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the job of a delivery rider remains extremely demanding. One individual highlighted the dire situation, noting that delivery riders in Beijing are on the brink of losing their jobs due to lack of orders. These workers push themselves to the limit to earn a living. In the fall of 2024, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, a rider in his 50s tragically collapsed on his electric scooter and passed away. According to an insider, he was the primary breadwinner for his family, managing over 100 orders a day while getting only three to four hours of sleep each night. This unfortunate event underscores the harsh realities faced by delivery riders and serves as a critique of the CCP’s narrative of achieving wealth through hard work.
Delivery riders often face harassment from security guards and traffic police. In Zhangzhou, Hunan, a rider’s electric scooter was confiscated by property security while he was delivering food. Desperate, he knelt and kowtowed, pleading for its return. CCP official media reports that over 12 million online delivery riders are registered across mainland China. Due to job flexibility and high turnover, riders typically lack formal labour contracts and are deprived of the social security benefits they deserve.
Recently, several delivery platforms such as JD.com, Meituan, and Ele.me announced plans to provide social insurance for qualifying riders. While these platforms’ efforts to provide social insurance have been widely covered by Chinese media in a positive light, what matters most is hearing the real thoughts of the riders themselves. On February 23, 2025, an online commentary circulated, stating, “Rather than saying riders need social insurance, it’s more accurate to say social insurance needs riders.”
The article laid bare a harsh reality: China currently has 200 million flexibly employed workers, with delivery riders and couriers making up a significant portion. Bringing them into the social security system could inject tens of billions of yuan into the Social Insurance Fund annually. More critically, data shows that China’s Social Security Fund deficit has been growing in recent years, with some regions even facing insolvency. An article argued that the CCP’s push to enrol delivery riders in social insurance is less about improving their quality of life and more about easing the strain on the Social Security Fund.
As reported by the Chinese media outlet First Finance, institutional estimates indicate that enrolling all active riders in social insurance would impose an annual cost of 17.29% on platforms. To manage the significant Social Security shortfall, the CCP is shifting the financial responsibility onto both the riders and the platforms. The situation for delivery riders in China is dire. As the CCP pushes for nationwide AI adoption and rapid technological advancements, the economic and social implications of these policies are being felt by the most vulnerable members of society. The move to deceive delivery riders into paying social insurance appears to be a strategic manoeuvre to fill the deficit hole in the Social Security Fund. As riders compete fiercely for a dwindling number of orders, they are left to struggle and survive in an increasingly harsh economic landscape. The question remains: is this push for social insurance truly aimed at benefiting delivery riders, or is it merely a means for the CCP to manage its financial shortfalls at the expense of those who can least afford it?