Report: China’s Flexible Employment Workforce Expected to Reach 320 Million, or 44 Percent of the Workforce, in 2026 (opens in new tab)

China uses the term “flexible employment” (灵活就业) to describe work arrangements outside traditional full-time, long-term employment relationships. The category includes gig-economy workers, freelancers, self-employed individuals, platform-based workers, part-time employees, food-delivery riders, ride-hailing drivers, livestream hosts, and others who earn income without standard labor contracts. Chinese authorities generally classify these workers as employed, even though many…