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EconomyChina Economy

China’s gig economy is an employment reservoir – but is the well drying up?

More than 200 million people in China are flexibly employed, but AI adoption, unstable income and poor social security make positions precarious

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
He Huifengin Guangdong

The air carried a chill in Hengdian, one of China’s best-known hubs for drama and film production. Yu Shutian, a 30-year-old actress, was on her way to set at 3.30am, donned in a floral shirt and darkened make-up to play a rural villain.

Referred to as “China’s Hollywood”, Hengdian – located in the eastern province of Zhejiang – has become an activity centre for the country’s fast-growing micro-drama industry, which produces low-budget, vertically-shot series designed for smartphones.

With frequent travel and short rest times an inescapable part of her daily routine, Yu carries a pervasive anxiety about survival.

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“In an era where small actors can be quietly replaced at any moment by [artificial intelligence], having work is a form of salvation,” she said.

In pure macroeconomic terms, Yu – who holds a master’s degree in directing from the University of Sussex – is just one of China’s more than 200 million gig-economy workers. In addition to the spectre of AI, many must deal with unstable income and a relative lack of social security protections.
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Underscoring a broader structural shift in China’s labour market, the gig economy – ride-hailing drivers, food delivery couriers, digital content creators and many other positions – has so far evolved from a side hustle into a vast reservoir absorbing the country’s unemployment pressures and helping to maintain economic stability.

Yu’s job, which involves so much intercity travel for auditions she typically sleeps four or five hours a night, has become her lifeline amid China’s cooling job market and the impact of AI.

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