Xi Jinping's deep concern: How can China's new employment groups build better lives?

"Happy Chinese New Year, general secretary!"

On the morning of February 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping walked into a community canteen in Beijing's Xicheng District, where several delivery workers were taking a short break between orders.

Among them was food delivery courier Jia Yacan.

As Jia greeted him with a smile, Xi warmly responded with New Year wishes.

"You've worked hard to meet the needs of countless households, and the city couldn't function without workers like you. I hope you all can lead good lives and work well," Xi told these delivery workers.

For Jia, it was a moment he would never forget.

The 34-year-old rider has been delivering meals across Beijing's streets and hutongs for nine years. From social insurance support and affordable meals to warm rest stations and subsidized delivery rider apartments, a series of practical measures has made him deeply feel the respect and care society now gives to new employment groups.

"What makes us feel more secure is that support is getting better," he said.

Jia has enrolled in social insurance with the help of subsidy policies for flexible workers. Jia and his family have also moved into a rider apartment supported by a local housing program.

"If we can live with peace of mind, we can work with peace of mind too," he said.

Jia's story offers a vivid reminder of the millions of grassroots workers who keep cities running every day. His interaction with Xi reflects the Chinese president's long-standing attention to ordinary workers.

Ahead of this year's International Workers' Day on May 1, Xi extended festive greetings and best wishes to workers across the country.

He called on them to actively participate in advancing Chinese modernization and urged Party committees and governments at all levels to effectively safeguard workers' legitimate rights and interests and address their most urgent concerns.

Food delivery couriers, ride-hailing drivers and e-commerce workers are now known as the "new forms of employment," a fast-growing part of China's labor market that has emerged with the rise of the internet and digital economy.

Today, the number of people in new forms of employment has reached 84 million, accounting for 21 percent of the country's workforce.

As this group continues to grow, improving protection and services for them has become an important issue in China's social governance.

Xi has always kept these workers in mind and has repeatedly stressed the need to better protect their rights and interests and expand coverage for their occupational injury insurance.

On March 5, 2025, while taking part in deliberations with the Jiangsu delegation at the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, Xi pointed out, "Social work must be strengthened. With regard to the delivery riders, ride-hailing drivers, e-commerce workers and others who have emerged in recent years, management and services must keep pace and fill in this gap."

These concerns are now turning into concrete policy.

On April 26, China issued its first national-level policy document that specifically focused on the new employment groups, outlining measures to improve labor protections and provide more precise care and services.

Zhang Chenggang, director of the China New Forms of Employment Research Center at Capital University of Economics and Business, said the document sends a strong signal.

"It recognizes the new employment group as an indispensable part of the labor market," he said, adding that it also shows the issue has moved from labor management to broader social governance.

China has been expanding its occupational injury insurance pilot program since 2022, providing workers in new forms of employment with protection in case of workplace accidents. The program is now being extended to all 31 provincial-level regions.

In addition, more than 3,000 one-stop labor dispute mediation centers for new employment groups have been established nationwide, resolving over 30,000 related cases.

Thus, protection is not only about insurance and compensation – it is also about helping workers feel a sense of belonging in the city.

Local governments are encouraging delivery workers to become "community spotters," helping with neighborhood safety checks, hazard reporting and emergency response.

In this way, couriers like Jia are not only service providers but also active contributors to community life. He often reports broken manhole covers, damaged fences and faulty streetlights he notices during deliveries. He is also being trained to become a food safety supervisor.

"We know the streets very well because we travel through them every day," Jia said. "Using our work to help city development gives me a strong sense of value."