China Rages at Professor Calling Gig Work Welfare
China Rages at Professor Calling Gig Work Welfare
The News
A prominent Chinese economics professor is under a wave of public anger after describing gig work as a form of "welfare" — a remark that hit a country where a cooling economy has made secure, full-time jobs harder to find.
Zhang Dandan, professor of economics and deputy dean at Peking University's National School of Development, made the comment on the popular financial show "Let's Talk" last week, during a discussion about social protection for gig workers.
"Flexibility itself is a form of welfare," she argued, from the perspective of labor economics.
The term "flexible employment" has since gone viral in China, according to Reuters.
Timeline
Zhang appears on "Let's Talk" for a discussion on social protection for gig workers and argues that flexibility is itself a benefit. Regular employees trade schedule flexibility for pensions and other benefits, she said, while flexible workers get greater control over their time at the cost of weaker social protections.
The comments trigger a fierce backlash, with social media users accusing Zhang of being oblivious to the harsh realities of the gig economy.
Reuters reports the controversy from Hong Kong. Zhang did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Reactions
Nationalist commentator Hu Xijin, a former editor at the state-backed Global Times, called Zhang's remarks "shocking" and "unacceptable."
"She has paid the price for her reputation for speaking this way, and the responsibility lies with her," Hu wrote on Weibo, adding that Zhang should "respond to public opinion, explain where necessary, and apologize where appropriate."
"Such comments from experts are no less than rubbing salt into the wounds of those without job security," one Weibo user wrote.
Another pointed to the pressure on delivery drivers and couriers: "Every day, they are racing against the platform's algorithm at all costs, without rest... [flexible work] is precisely the most unavoidable of choices, not a preference."
Not everyone piled on. Some social media users pointed out that Zhang's academic career has focused largely on documenting the struggles of gig workers and advocating for their social security.
What's Next
Zhang has not publicly answered the criticism, and did not respond to Reuters. Hu has publicly called on her to explain herself and apologize where appropriate.
The bigger question is the one the fight is really about: the China New Employment Forms Research Center, a think tank, estimates the number of flexible workers — those without permanent full-time contracts — will rise to 320 million this year, up from 280 million in 2025.
Reuters notes that is about 44% of China's urban workforce, and roughly equivalent to the entire population of the United States.
More
In China, employers are not required to make social insurance contributions for gig workers. Some industry experts have warned that the growth of those jobs heightens long-term risks for the country's already strained welfare and pension systems.
Zhang's own research has documented how deep that shift runs. She noted last year that on-demand workers made up about 31% of the workforce in China's manufacturing sector, and that during peak seasons the share can rise as high as 80% at large manufacturers with more than 10,000 workers.
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