Kang Jiaxin, 28, has been a freelance interpreter based in Beijing since graduating with a master's degree in 2016. Failing to find an ideally stable job after graduation, she chose to work on her own, taking advice from some veterans in the translation and interpreting industry.

Despite at times feeling anxious due to the unstable nature of the job, she has been enjoying its flexible schedule and the freedom to choose who she wants to work for. Additionally, she earns a decent living, making above average in Beijing.

"Being a freelance interpreter enables me to get in contact with different people and travel to different places, enriching my experience," Kang told Beijing Review. She said she is satisfied with her current work and life, although there are numerous possibilities for her future career—she might continue her freelance work and dig deeper into one specific field for better interpreting skills, or she might switch to stable employment at a company.

Currently, there are some 200 million people in flexible employment in China, Li Zhong, Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said at a press conference in August. "While providing livelihood options for people, it has eased pressures on urban employment and become an important form of employment," he said.

Showing support

Flexible employment, including individual businesses, part-time jobs, and other new types of employment, is important for boosting employment. The government will further support flexible employment through multiple channels to stabilize employment, according to a document to support flexible employment released by the State Council in July.

The document stating individuals are encouraged to establish small businesses offers stronger support to groups such as college graduates, migrant workers and the unemployed. 

It also says that part-time job opportunities should be increased by facilitating the development of community services, online retailing and online education.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that some 8.74 million students graduated from colleges and universities this year, 400,000 more than last year, hitting a record high. They faced difficulties in finding a job, especially under the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. 

Many college students or graduates choose to be a takeaway deliveryman for a part-time job. According to a survey report released in July by Ele.me, a major food delivery platform under the Alibaba Group, the flexible schedule that comes with the job is a crucial reason for college students or graduates to go into it. Also, some of them believe the profession has a low threshold and is thus easy to enter.

"For me, I like the feeling of zipping through the city on my electric bike. Now I can use my earnings to support myself and hopefully save some money in the future," said Wu Zehang, a college student in Shantou, Guangdong Province in south China who started working part-time as a deliveryman in the first half of the year when his college postponed the new semester due to the epidemic.

Moreover, local authorities are required to ensure employment through measures such as promoting flexible employment and improving the business environment for startups. 

This means more streamlined and efficient approval procedures, the reduction of administrative fees, and the provision of low-cost business venues.

More assistance and protection will be available for workers in flexible employment, such as posting job information for them free of charge, providing training and subsidies, formulating favorable labor and social security policies, and enhancing support to those struggling to find a flexible job.

For instance, the Beijing Municipal Government launched a policy in October, which says for college graduates whose first job is flexible employment within two years after graduating and leaving school in 2020 or later, a flexible employment social insurance subsidy will be given for up to three years.

In Shanxi Province, north China, for people with difficulties in finding a job, former migrant workers who have returned to their hometown, and college graduates who graduated no more than two years ago, when they start a small or micro enterprise for the first time or engage in self-employment for more than a year, they can apply for a one-time entrepreneurial subsidy. 

Yunnan Province in southwest China will provide free entrepreneurship training for people who are willing to start a business. The training covers market analysis and business operation strategies, helping entrepreneurs to increase their chances of success. 

Facing challenges

In recent years, enabled by mobile Internet, big data, cloud computing and other new technologies, digital platform economy, shared economy, Internet celebrity economy and other new economic forms are on the rise, while an increasing number of young people like Li are choosing flexible work. 

A survey released in September by Meituan, an online service platform, found that people aged 20 to 35 have become the main force of flexible employment in consumer service industries which includes cyber content creation, accounting for 82.2 percent of the total. 

Since early 2018, Li Shunu has been uploading her videos on Bilibili, a popular Chinese video-sharing platform, as her hobby. On her channel she mainly shares book-related videos she made and video blogs about her life. Before she became a full-time video creator this year, the 24-year-old had worked for a state-owned enterprise, a large private company, and a small startup.

Having learned the operation models of those companies and experienced office politics, she did not feel it was right for her. "So, I decided to work for myself and follow my dream and passion," Li said. She has uploaded over 30 videos and has more than 23,000 followers. She decided to explore the fun of such flexible work and see if it can work out. 

However, she said, "If the follower number of my channel doesn't reach 40,000 by April 2021, I will quit and go back to become a member of corporate staff."

One of the biggest challenges for her as a vlogger is the unstable income. Her income mainly comes from advertisements, much less than what she earned before, so she has to use her savings to support her work. Another barrier is the familial one—her parents still hope that she will pursue a stable career at a state-owned company or government department, which are usually seen as the most secure jobs.

"The social recognition of new forms of employment is generally not high," Ju Xianmei, Director of the Employment Guidance Center at the Tianjin University of Technology and Education, said. "But reality has proven that some new employment forms are indeed promising."

Moreover, flexible employment does not have the characteristics stipulated in current employment laws and regulations, and may not enjoy legal protection and benefits. 

Bo Wenguang, Deputy Dean of the Binhai Development Research Institute of Nankai University, told Economic Daily that there is another challenge facing flexible workers. Though some of them form a binding relationship with the intermediary agencies that help them find odd jobs through service contracting, however, due to the flexible nature of the new employment form, it is difficult for the government to supervise the honoring of such contracts. In addition, lack of uniform standards across different platforms and regions also gives rise to regulatory difficulties and increased risks for employees.

Relevant laws and regulations should be revised to address these problems and stronger support should be given to such workers, Sun Youhai, Dean of the Law School at Tianjin University, said.