China’s netizens rage against professor who said gig work was a type of ‘welfare’
The controversy has struck a nerve for many in China, where a cooling economy has made secure, full-time employment harder to find.
Professor Zhang Dandan from Peking University's National School of Development sparked outrage by describing gig work as a form of welfare during a discussion on social protection for gig workers on a popular financial show. She argued that flexibility is a type of welfare, saying that flexible workers enjoy greater control over their time at the cost of weaker social protections compared to regular employees who trade schedule flexibility for pensions and other benefits.
The comments sparked backlash, with social media users accusing Zhang of being unaware of the harsh realities of the gig economy. The China New Employment Forms Research Center estimates the number of flexible workers in China, those without permanent full-time contracts, will reach 320 million this year, representing about 44% of China's urban workforce.
Critics pointed out the rise of gig jobs, where employers are not required to make social insurance contributions, exacerbates long-term risks for China's strained welfare and pension systems. While some noted Zhang's academic focus on documenting struggles and advocating for social security of gig workers, her framing of flexibility as a benefit was seen as insensitive, rubbing salt in the wounds of those without job security.
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