Almost a quarter of the workforce is employed in various capacities related to online services and e-commerce. Delivery drivers are one the fastest growing occupations. With COVID-19, the five million delivery drivers saw their opportunities substantially grow.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – According to a new report, Chinese online platforms employ at least 200 million people, both full-time and on-demand.
According to CyanHill Capital, a Beijing-based investment firm, despite China's large tech companies cutting their workforce due to the economic slowdown and regulatory hostility, online and e-commerce services remain among the largest employers for the country's 880 million workers.
In a country where youth unemployment now hovers above 20 per cent, they play a vital role.
Lorry drivers in China’s logistics network are the biggest group with 16.5 million, followed by ride-hailing drivers with some seven million, one of the fastest growing occupations in the past few years, the report notes.
The number of new licences granted to drivers jumped by 32.6 per cent in 2022, with new drivers added this year at a daily rate that is five times higher than last.
The next group of so-called gig workers are the five million delivery drivers, who have expanded their range of action, from the delivery of meals-on-wheels to food, medicines, and bouquets, especially during COVID-19.
A new group of platform workers are China’s 4 million programmers, whose effort keeps 3.8 million websites up and running.