Delivery riders, on-demand delivery personnel, ride-hailing drivers, and online freight drivers are becoming a vital force in serving public welfare and facilitating economic flows as they navigate urban landscapes. Focusing on protecting the rights of this workforce, relevant government departments are providing strong guidance and establishing regulatory frameworks. Many leading platform companies are actively responding by exploring new mechanisms to achieve mutual benefits with workers while pursuing their own growth. Through this collaborative effort, the safety net for laborers in new forms of employment is being steadily strengthened.
In Mohe, China's northernmost city in Heilongjiang province, winter temperatures can plunge below minus forty degrees Celsius. Shang Zufeng, a courier for JD.com and a member of the "northernmost delivery personnel" group, recounted that previously, using electric tricycles for deliveries often led to phones shutting down from the cold and numb hands and feet. After he raised this issue with his district manager, within a month, all delivery vehicles at the Mohe branch were replaced with tricycles equipped with heaters. "The company genuinely listens to our suggestions," Shang said.
How can dedicated workers feel secure and enjoy a dignified life? JD.com considers "investing in people" central to building a sustainable business ecosystem. Financial reports indicate that by the end of 2025, JD's total workforce exceeded 900,000 employees, with annual human resource expenditures reaching 157.2 billion yuan, an increase of 33.7 billion yuan year-on-year. The "Three 100%" initiative provides greater peace of mind for workers: JD.com is not only the first private enterprise in China to sign formal labor contracts with couriers and contribute to the "five social insurances and one housing fund," but it has also achieved "Three 100%" for full-time riders—100% signed labor contracts, 100% enrollment in social insurance and housing fund, and 100% access to formal employee benefits. To date, JD.com has provided social insurance and housing fund contributions for over 150,000 full-time riders, effectively addressing concerns related to healthcare, pensions, and housing.
Driven by government guidance, a growing number of platform companies are exploring ways to establish more stable labor relations with workers. Platform companies in Beijing are implementing the "Guidelines for Negotiating Rights of Workers in New Forms of Employment" issued by the national tripartite mechanism for coordinating labor relations and the "Two Guidelines and One Manual" from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, strengthening consultation mechanisms and further enhancing protections for workers in new employment forms.
At the end of 2021, JD.com held its first collective bargaining conference and signed a collective contract, becoming the first among platform companies to establish a nationwide, cross-regional collective bargaining and workers' congress system. This simultaneous advancement of collective bargaining and workers' congresses set an industry example. In February 2025, JD.com convened a second round of collective bargaining. Worker representatives engaged in face-to-face negotiations with management on safeguarding new employment形态 workers. The discussions ultimately incorporated new elements, including implementing reforms for industrial workforce development, providing care and security for new employment形态 workers, establishing trade union labor law supervision mechanisms, and facilitating regular consultations. The resulting draft JD.com Collective Contract was reviewed and approved through democratic procedures. In March of the same year, full-time riders began receiving contributions for the "five social insurances and one housing fund."
Shao Yingnan, Director of the Rights Protection Department at the Beijing Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, commented, "JD.com's pioneering establishment of nationwide, cross-regional collective bargaining among platform companies is of benchmark significance. It provides a practical model for promoting collective bargaining in platform enterprises and protecting the rights of workers in new employment forms. Following JD.com's initial collective bargaining session, other leading platform companies have successively initiated various forms of consultation, such as collective bargaining or discussion forums."
Through face-to-face collective bargaining, JD.com has built a comprehensive, multi-dimensional system for protecting workers' rights. A representative from the JD.com Trade Union explained, "We have established a '7+3+X' service system covering all employees. Considering the entire lifecycle of employee career development—from physical and mental health to professional growth and family well-being—we created a service framework spanning seven scenarios: employee health, daily necessities, housing, transportation, and happy homes. This is supported by three pillars: statutory benefits, supplementary benefits, and unique benefits, plus an 'X' representing characteristic care services from various departments, forming a complete service and security system for all JD.com staff."
Having a comfortable and warm place to live is a major aspiration for many workers far from home. JD.com has already provided 28,000 housing units for its frontline employees. In the past three months, "Courier Homes" have been established in Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and other cities. This past Spring Festival, these homes welcomed the parents, spouses, and children of frontline employees for reunion celebrations. JD.com also announced a plan to invest 22 billion yuan over the next five years to provide 150,000 "Courier Homes" through leasing, self-construction, and housing security funds. These homes, located in areas with good geography and complete facilities, will be available at rents significantly below market rate or even for free, aiming to create the largest, highest-quality, and most extensive housing security system for couriers.
Beyond housing security, JD.com is simultaneously improving welfare benefits and vocational training systems for frontline staff, integrating care for employees into all aspects of daily life and personal development.
Transitioning from mere "employment" to "satisfying work" requires visible attention to worker concerns. Building harmonious labor relations involves ensuring dignified employment and satisfactory working conditions. Core to this is legally safeguarding basic rights, while key elements include健全 democratic management systems and畅通 career development channels.
For years, JD.com has diversified ways for employees to participate in corporate management. Addressing characteristics like a widespread workforce and diverse roles, JD.com developed an "internet-plus" democratic management platform. Processes for proposal collection, opinion expression, meeting broadcasts, and information disclosure are fully digitalized, ensuring worker representatives can participate conveniently anytime, anywhere. In addition to the workers' congress, JD.com has established regular "Employee Opinion Exchange Meetings" to regularly gather feedback on employee concerns and areas for system improvement, promoting timely and effective problem-solving. "The company truly listens to our suggestions and genuinely solves the issues we worry about," has become a common sentiment among JD.com employees.
In May 2023, construction began on the "JD Youth City" project near JD's Beijing headquarters. Intended as employee apartments, the project includes kindergartens, commercial streets, sports facilities, and other supporting infrastructure. During the design phase, JD.com actively incorporated suggestions from employees, adopting worker representatives' input on commercial facilities and interior decoration. "Ensuring employees have a sense of dignity, happiness, and achievement is a principle JD.com consistently emphasizes," a company representative stated. They added that when employees feel secure in their jobs, comfortable in their lives, and have opportunities for growth, the company can achieve long-term success.
At the end of last year, Guangdong Province and JD.com jointly established the nation's first "Modern Rider Academy" in Guangzhou, aiming to create a model for government-enterprise-school cooperation focused on "high-level skill transition and career advancement for riders." The academy will utilize the facilities, venues, and faculty resources of Guangdong educational institutions to provide skill enhancement and career development support for JD.com's full-time riders. Over the next three years, the academy's training programs are expected to cover all 100,000+ full-time riders and frontline couriers working for JD.com (including Deppon and Kuayue) in Guangdong.
Beyond the Rider Academy, JD.com initiated the "I Study at University through JD" project back in 2014, which has so far assisted over 6,500 employees in pursuing further education while working. The JD Logistics National Skills Competition in 2025 involved 360,000 frontline employees, and an increasing number of JD couriers are obtaining professional skill certificates, enhancing their career prospects.
Earlier this year, JD.com was recognized as a "National Advanced Private Enterprise in Employment and Social Security." A representative from JD.com stated that only by integrating workers' sense of gain into the company's development logic, aligning security with efficiency, and ensuring dignity accompanies growth, can private enterprises solidify their foundation and thrive in intense market competition. Looking ahead, JD.com will continue exploring more forward-looking security mechanisms, more effective democratic management methods, and warmer initiatives to promote satisfying work.
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