The shift is not driven by workers alone – companies are also reorganising how work is distributed, said economists.
Guangzhou HUGA+ Health Management, a platform that matches patients with freelance medical escorts like Zhao, saw demand for such services surge from late 2022 to early 2023 as hospital visits increased sharply after China abandoned its zero-COVID policy, while many adult children were unable to accompany their elderly parents due to work and distance.
Huang Binchang, the platform’s general manager, told CNA that relying on flexible workers ensured such demand could be met.
“As a platform, we can respond quickly during peak periods and attract experienced professionals who may not be able to work fixed hours,” he said.
Zhang Chenggang, an associate professor at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing who studies new forms of employment, said firms are increasingly shifting towards a task-based model of work.
“Enterprises are increasingly delivering work to the market in the form of tasks rather than fixed jobs,” he told CNA.
“Platforms then connect those tasks with workers and enable more efficient matching of labour and demand.”
WHY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DRAWN IN
For Li Shuai, leaving full-time employment was not a sudden decision.
The 33-year-old had worked in photography and video production for several years before gradually building a network of clients. By 2021, he felt ready to step away from a fixed job.
Today, Li works as an independent videographer. His schedule shifts depending on assignments, with busy periods followed by quieter stretches between jobs.
“The income moves in a kind of zigzag pattern,” he said. “Some months are busier than others.”
But to him, the flexibility is part of the appeal.
“I can control my own schedule, the workload is less intense, and compared with a full-time job, my time has greater value,” he said.
Zhang Dandan, a professor of economics and deputy dean at the National School of Development at Peking University, said many people in flexible employment function almost like “small bosses”.
“They decide when to work and where to work, using their own labour to earn income,” she told CNA.
Read the full article here
