With over 10 million delivery riders, a significant new workforce has emerged. Since last year, multiple food delivery platforms have implemented measures to assist more riders in obtaining social insurance, either through direct contributions to the mandatory social security and housing fund or by offering post-payment subsidies.

These initiatives are now one year old. What is their impact? How can the safety net for riders' rights be further strengthened?

**Platforms Explore Social Insurance for Riders**

Labor laws mandate that employers and employees must participate in social insurance and pay premiums. However, the nature of delivery work, characterized by instability, part-time roles, short-term transitions, and cross-city mobility, makes it difficult to establish formal labor relationships and, consequently, to determine how social insurance should be paid.

To better protect riders' rights, several platforms have begun exploring solutions.

Since March of last year, JD.com has been paying the full cost of the mandatory social security and housing fund for its full-time delivery riders, including the portion typically paid by the employee, ensuring their take-home pay remains unaffected. For part-time riders, the company provides accident and health insurance.

Platforms like MEITUAN and Taobao Flash Delivery have adopted a "subsidy-after-payment" model, offering social insurance subsidies to more riders.

MEITUAN encourages eligible riders to enroll in the basic urban employee pension insurance as flexible workers. The platform subsidizes 50% of the premium based on the local minimum social insurance contribution base. This policy was piloted in April last year in Quanzhou (Fujian) and Nantong (Jiangsu) before being rolled out nationwide to all types of MEITUAN riders in November.

Taobao Flash Delivery subsidizes at least 50% of the pension and medical insurance premiums for riders with stable delivery records who wish to enroll, offering full subsidies for "Rider Captains" and "Honor Riders." This initiative was fully implemented in its directly operated cities across China by the end of 2025.

Li Xuezhen, an "Honor Rider" for Taobao Flash Delivery in Beijing, calculated his benefits: after receiving a 100% subsidy for his March pension insurance payment of 1,432.4 yuan and medical insurance payment of 584.92 yuan, he stands to receive annual subsidies totaling approximately 24,200 yuan.

A representative from MEITUAN's Rider Protection Team stated that the subsidy scheme allows riders to choose whether to enroll in their hometown or workplace, addressing the practical need of "working in the city, retiring in the hometown." Subsidies are deposited directly into riders' accounts.

Zhang Chenggang, Director of the China New Employment Forms Research Center at Capital University of Economics and Business, noted that platforms subsidizing flexible pension and medical insurance for eligible riders represents a significant exploration in protecting the rights of workers in new employment forms. It practically addresses the question of how those not in a standard employment relationship can access social insurance. This enhances labor rights protection for riders and can help platforms secure a more stable workforce.

**Two Models Suit Different Riders**

Which model is more advantageous: comprehensive mandatory social security or flexible "subsidy-after-payment"?

Industry insiders explain that the mandatory social security model offers more comprehensive coverage but requires relatively fixed working hours, making it suitable for riders who can engage in the work stably and long-term. The "subsidy-after-payment" model is better suited for riders seeking more flexible schedules and can better accommodate the seasonal and fluctuating nature of the delivery industry.

Under the mandatory social security model, JD.com now has over 150,000 full-time delivery riders, with the company paying an average of about 2,000 yuan per rider per month for their social security and housing fund.

The "subsidy-after-payment" models of MEITUAN and Taobao Flash Delivery involve millions of riders. However, eligibility for subsidies comes with criteria: riders must have had an income meeting the local minimum social insurance contribution base for three out of the past six months, including the month of payment.

"This is to prevent subsidy fraud and ensure subsidies go to riders who are genuinely and stably engaged in delivery work," said the MEITUAN representative, adding that most riders with stable delivery records in major cities meet this income threshold.

A rider from Shangqiu, Henan, reported working four shifts totaling eight hours daily, earning about 4,500 yuan per month, which qualifies him for the subsidy, and he plans to participate.

"This threshold might be somewhat difficult for part-time riders, but not for those for whom delivery is their main income source," said Wang Xingui, a rider at MEITUAN's Beijing Taiyanggong station. He and his fellow riders typically earn between 8,000 and 12,000 yuan monthly.

Data from the initial MEITUAN pilot cities, Quanzhou and Nantong, show that out of approximately 22,000 riders (including part-timers and even those who completed just one delivery), about 4,000 met the subsidy criteria in 2025. This number fluctuates with the industry's peak and off-peak seasons, reflecting its flexible employment nature.

"Looking at the age structure of riders, those who are married with children are the most direct beneficiaries, as many of them were already paying into flexible worker social insurance," the MEITUAN representative noted. Two other groups show high interest: riders who previously had stable jobs and have paid social insurance for years, needing only a few more years to qualify for retirement pensions; and riders whose children can attend school in their workplace city after they enroll in local social insurance.

The representative added that many riders seek guidance on policy details and procedures. Since 2025, with support from local human resources departments, MEITUAN has conducted over 600 policy briefing sessions. Interest among younger riders is also growing, with frequent inquiries.

**Extending Social Security to More New Employment Forms**

The social insurance explorations in food delivery offer valuable references for other flexible employment sectors like ride-hailing and domestic services.

The number of workers in new employment forms, including delivery riders and ride-hailing drivers, has grown significantly nationwide, reaching 84 million. In April this year, a document jointly issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council proposed "improving the social security system tailored to the characteristics of new employment groups and refining the mechanism for transferring and continuing social insurance relationships."

Occupational injury protection, functioning similarly to work-related injury insurance, currently covers over 27 million people across 17 pilot provinces. The pilot is set to expand nationwide this year, with more companies included starting July 1.

Some regions are also introducing related social insurance subsidies. The Sichuan Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security announced that during 2026, platform companies that register express delivery and takeaway workers for social insurance for the first time and pay premiums for basic pension, medical, unemployment, and work-related injury insurance will receive a social insurance subsidy equivalent to 10% of the company's contribution portion.

Wang Xiaoping, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, efforts will continue to promote universal social insurance coverage. In-depth research will address insufficient social security for flexible workers, migrant workers, and new employment form workers to increase enrollment rates. The occupational injury protection system for new employment form workers will be steadily expanded, along with broader coverage for unemployment and work-related injury insurance.

"To better protect the rights of new employment form workers, it is also necessary to further clarify labor relationship identification standards, regulate labor benchmarks such as wages, working hours, leave, and safety and health, and continuously improve the social security system," suggested Wang Tianyu, a researcher at the Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The next step could involve replicating and promoting the food delivery industry's explorations to more flexible employment fields, legally incorporating more workers who meet the characteristics of labor relationships into the social security system to better protect their rights.