Wage growth for blue-collar workers in China has outpaced that of their white-collar peers for six consecutive years, in a sign of the country’s booming gig economy.
More than 300 million Chinese people are now in “flexible” employment setups, according to a new think tank report.
Food delivery drivers were among the highest-paid blue-collar workers, with annual income growth exceeding 10% from 2023 to 2025.
The country’s tech-driven delivery sector has mushroomed in recent years, and many drivers work grueling schedules.
Stagnating white-collar wages, meanwhile, could compound anxieties in China around AI’s impact on the workforce.
Hundreds of people — 10% of whom were recent college graduates — applied to a job listing for shepherds in Inner Mongolia, reflecting China’s labor market strains.