Chinese Delivery Platforms Announce Social Security Guarantees for Couriers

JD (Jingdong) is a major Chinese e-commerce company and one of the largest online retailers in the world. Recently, it attracted widespread attention for its bid to enter China’s hyper-competitive delivery industry, with a surprising announcement that it would commit to paying the “five social insurances + one fund” for its full-time riders, effective March 1, 2025 (Lu).

A courier from Meituan, one of China's largest delivery platforms (photo: AFP)

Here, the “five social insurances” are pension, medical, unemployment, work injury, and maternity. “One fund” refers to the housing provident fund, a savings program for housing purchases. Together, these form the cornerstone of social welfare in China.

Social welfare provision for delivery couriers has long been a contentious topic. China’s two largest delivery platforms, Meituan and Ele.me, are staffed by two types of drivers — contractual and outsourced. Most couriers do not enjoy the social security benefits employees in other industries are entitled to, creating challenges for them in seeking healthcare, housing, and making retirement plans.

However, lately, there have been positive signs from the industry indicating that change is underway. Following JD’s announcement, Meituan and Ele.me swiftly followed with their guarantees (Yang):

• On February 19, Meituan pledged to provide social security for full-time and stable part-time riders from Q2 2025. It had previously rolled out occupational injury insurance for all riders, introduced anti-fatigue mechanisms, and eliminated penalty chargers for delayed orders.

• On February 20, Ele.me assured that it would be accelerating the pilot program it launched in 2023 to provide social security for riders and reiterated its 200 million RMB investment to enhance meal subsidies, workplace safety equipment, and welfare benefits for riders.

These series of announcements have been welcomed by riders and consumers alike. Many couriers have expressed interest in moving to platforms with more favorable social security protections.

For social change to occur, couriers must first gain agency and ownership over their labor. The latest move from JD exemplifies how growing competition between delivery platforms can motivate employers to focus more on securing equitable and just working environments for riders. As consumers, we are also responsible for keeping ourselves updated on the commitments different platforms make to their riders and playing our part in inducing healthy competition by supporting good practices.

Bibliography

Lu, Hanzhi. ‘China’s JD.Com, Meituan to Offer Social Insurance for Food Delivery Riders’. Yicai , 20 Feb. 2025, https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/chinas-jdcom-meituan-to-offer-social-insurance-for-food-delivery-riders.

Yang, Carol. ‘China’s Food-Delivery Platforms Vow Welfare Coverage for Armies of Riders’. South China Morning Post, 20 Feb. 2025, https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3299473/chinas-eleme-joins-meituan-jdcom-vowing-welfare-coverage-armies-riders.