There are currently 84 million workers in new forms of employment across the country, a significant portion of whom are food delivery riders. Due to the flexible nature of their work, they have historically lacked comprehensive social security coverage.
The 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to increase the insurance participation rate for flexible workers, migrant workers, and those in new employment forms, reasonably determine contribution bases, and clarify the contribution responsibilities of employers and platform companies.
Since 2022, the state has been piloting occupational injury protection for workers in new employment forms. As of the end of March this year, 27.42 million people have been enrolled.
In addition, starting from 2025, different platforms have implemented two types of protection models for delivery riders based on their own characteristics. One model involves paying the "Five Insurances and One Housing Fund" for full-time riders who have been in the industry long-term. The other model provides social insurance subsidies for crowd-sourced and dedicated delivery riders through a "pay first, reimburse later" method.
How effective have these measures been since their implementation? A reporter recently conducted on-site visits.
Full-Time Riders Enrolled in "Five Insurances and One Housing Fund" Upon Hiring
At a delivery station in Beijing's West Fourth Ring Road, the reporter met rider Guo Yongfang. Not long ago, she was hospitalized for surgery due to a herniated lumbar disc, with total costs exceeding 40,000 yuan. Medical insurance reimbursement significantly alleviated her financial burden.
Guo Yongfang told the reporter that before coming to Beijing, she was enrolled in the new rural cooperative medical insurance in her hometown in Hebei province, meaning she could only get reimbursed for hospital expenses by returning to her place of household registration. At the end of last year, she joined JD.com as a full-time rider. On her first day of employment, the platform began paying the "Five Insurances and One Housing Fund" for her.
Not only has accessing medical care become more convenient, but some riders' coverage has also become more comprehensive. Wang Luxu was previously a truck driver. In past jobs, only the three basic insurances—medical, unemployment, and pension—were paid for him. After joining JD.com last year, the platform also added maternity insurance, work injury insurance, and housing provident fund for him.
From the interviews, the reporter learned that JD.com has currently signed contracts with 150,000 full-time riders nationwide and is paying the Five Insurances and One Housing Fund for them. Riders are enrolled upon hiring, and the platform covers all premiums that individuals would otherwise need to bear.
Wang Hong, Head of Human Resources for Full-Time Riders in North China at JD.com, stated that starting last year, coverage primarily focused on provincial capital cities and has gradually expanded to prefecture-level cities nationwide. They all follow the statutory contribution ratios, with the current average monthly payment per person being around 2,000 yuan.
"Pay First, Reimburse Later": 50% Subsidy Directly to Riders
Currently, most riders are crowd-sourced or dedicated delivery riders who do not have fixed contracts with a single platform. How are their rights and interests being protected? Since last year, some platforms have also made attempts.
Liang Yinghui, 42 years old, has been working in food delivery for nine years. His social insurance payments were once interrupted during his employment. In October last year, the Meituan platform launched a "pay first, reimburse later" pension insurance subsidy policy. He promptly participated in pension insurance as an urban flexible worker.
The reporter learned that "pay first, reimburse later" means that if a rider's monthly delivery income exceeds the lower limit of the social insurance contribution base in their place of employment, and their income meets the standard for at least three months out of the past six, they can voluntarily enroll in urban employee pension insurance in their place of household registration or work, with Meituan subsidizing half of the cost.
Liang Yinghui opened his rider app and showed the reporter that in the first ten days of each month, he receives a 551 yuan subsidy for the pension insurance he paid the previous month.
The reporter learned that currently, there are over 3 million riders on the Meituan platform with monthly orders. Some have never purchased any social insurance. After the implementation of this subsidy policy, riders can choose their place of insurance participation themselves. The system automatically verifies eligibility and calculates the subsidy amount, depositing the subsidy directly into the rider's personal account at the beginning of the month for real-time receipt, providing an additional layer of security for more and more riders.
Addressing Bottlenecks to Enhance Riders' Social Insurance Rights
Various platforms have introduced social security measures tailored for riders. However, during actual implementation, riders still have some concerns. How can these bottlenecks be addressed? The reporter interviewed industry experts on this matter.
During the interviews, the reporter learned that some riders prioritize their monthly take-home cash income, believing that pension insurance has a long return cycle with no short-term benefits. Additionally, riders often move between cities. In response, experts stated that the mobility characteristic of the rider profession must be considered.
Wen Xiaoyi, Vice President of the China Institute of Industrial Relations, noted that considering their mobility, participation in social insurance emphasizes three flexibilities: flexibility in the place of insurance, flexibility in the contribution base, and flexibility in the payment cycle. It is especially important to emphasize removing household registration restrictions for participating in insurance at the place of employment.
State Council policy documents propose: completely abolish household registration restrictions for participating in employee social insurance at the place of employment, guide all types of workers to participate in employee social insurance at their place of work, and improve the insurance participation system for flexible workers and those in new employment forms.
Simultaneously, some riders are not very familiar with specialized social insurance policies, confusing urban resident pension insurance with urban employee pension insurance, and worrying that years of earlier contributions to urban resident pension insurance will be directly nullified. Experts addressed this misconception.
Wen Xiaoyi explained that according to existing policies, the funds in their personal accounts remain valid. Funds previously paid into personal accounts for urban resident pension insurance can either be transferred into employee pension insurance or fully refunded. The principal amount will not disappear.
Driven by relevant policies, it is still recommended that riders and other workers in new employment forms prioritize enrolling in employee pension insurance.
To enable food delivery riders to better enjoy social security, the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to increase the insurance participation rate for flexible workers, migrant workers, and those in new employment forms, reasonably determine contribution bases, and clarify the contribution responsibilities of employers and platform companies.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security is also researching and introducing supporting measures, continuously expanding the coverage of social insurance, promoting the nationwide implementation of the occupational injury protection pilot, continuously optimizing digital services for social insurance administration, and improving supporting policies for the cross-provincial transfer and continuation of pension insurance relationships.
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