Why this flexible work platform is seeing a boom in sourcing riders for delivery giants like Meituan and Ele.me
- The gig economy is expected to be worth 1.2 trillion yuan by 2022 in China, up from 478.7 billion yuan in 2019, according to a recent research report
As a courier in Beijing delivering fresh produce, 40-year-old Yan Zhaojun works around 14 hours per day, delivering 40 to 60 orders on average.
This earns him around 6,000 yuan (US$876) per month and he will get a bonus of around 1,000 yuan if he manages to deliver over 1,000 orders a month. Yan said the bonus was achievable for most couriers provided they do not take too much time off.
It is arduous work and the income he receives is hardly a small fortune. But after having to close his small convenience store in Beijing three months ago due to a pandemic-induced economic slowdown, his job as a delivery driver in China’s booming gig economy has been a gift.
Yan found the job through a third party labour platform in China, joining an estimated 240 million others in the gig economy, which has been lifted by buoyant e-commerce and services growth in the country along with extra pandemic-driven demand.
