Archive · 24 Aug 2026
China gig-work backlash grows after professor calls flexibility welfare
A Chinese professor said that flexible jobs can have one benefit: workers may control their schedules.
Many people became angry because gig workers often take these jobs when they cannot find secure work.
They said flexibility is not really a choice for many delivery drivers and couriers.
These workers may also have fewer pensions and other social protections.
China’s economy has made stable jobs harder to find.
One research center expects about 320 million people to work without permanent full-time contracts this year.
A well-known commentator said the professor should explain her comments and apologize if appropriate.
Some people defended her by pointing out that she has studied gig workers and argued for better protections.
Peking University professor Zhang Dandan said flexible work can itself be a form of welfare.
Her comments on a financial television show triggered widespread anger among Chinese social media users.
Critics said gig workers face insecurity, relentless algorithmic pressure and limited social protections.
A research center estimates China’s flexible workforce will reach 320 million this year, up from 280 million in 2025.
Commentator Hu Xijin called the remarks unacceptable, while others noted Zhang’s research on gig workers’ welfare.
- Who
- Zhang Dandan, an economics professor and deputy dean at Peking University, and Chinese gig workers and social media users.
- What
- Zhang’s description of flexible employment as a form of welfare sparked a public backlash.
- When
- She made the comments on a financial show last week; the backlash intensified over the weekend.
- Where
- China, during the television program “Let’s Talk” and on Chinese social media.
- Why
- The remarks touched anxieties about job insecurity, weak social protections and the growing use of gig work.
Critics of the remarks
Context offered by Zhang’s supporters
Whether flexibility is a benefit
Critics of the remarks
Critics said flexible work is often an unavoidable choice for people without secure jobs, not a preference or welfare benefit.
Context offered by Zhang’s supporters
Zhang argued that flexible workers gain greater control over their time, even though they receive weaker social protections.
Conditions facing gig workers
Critics of the remarks
Users highlighted delivery drivers’ and couriers’ relentless pressure to meet platform algorithms while lacking rest and security.
Context offered by Zhang’s supporters
Zhang’s broader academic work has focused on documenting gig workers’ difficulties and advocating for their social security.
Response to public anger
Critics of the remarks
Hu Xijin said the remarks were unacceptable and that Zhang should explain herself and apologize where appropriate.
Context offered by Zhang’s supporters
Some users pointed to Zhang’s research record and her previous comments about the large role of on-demand workers in China’s manufacturing sector.
- Professor
- Zhang Dandan, professor of economics and deputy dean at Peking University’s National School of Development
- Controversial phrase
- Zhang said that, from a labor-economics perspective, “flexibility itself is a form of welfare.”
- Projected flexible workforce
- 320 million people in China this year, according to the China New Employment Forms Research Center
- Previous estimate
- The same research center estimated 280 million flexible workers in 2025
- Urban workforce share
- The projected 320 million flexible workers represent about 44% of China’s urban workforce
- Social protection concern
- Gig-work employers are not mandated to make social-insurance contributions, according to the report
- Public criticism
- Hu Xijin called the comments “shocking” and “unacceptable” and urged Zhang to respond to public opinion