"Delivery Rider’s Death Shines Light on Fierce Competition in China’s Gig Industry" 10 September 2024

A middle-aged deliveryman was found unconscious on his electric scooter outside a local residential complex early Friday morning, Jimu News reported, quoting an eyewitness. He had been lying on the scooter for several hours before fellow delivery riders realized something was wrong, the witness said.

The deliveryman was always seen working, taking only short breaks by lying on his scooter, according to the witness. He would immediately get back to work as soon as he received an order on his phone, the witness said...

China’s sluggish job market has put increasing financial pressure on delivery riders, with competition for orders growing ever fiercer and working hours longer, as the number of riders increases and order fees decline, several drivers told Caixin...

Yuan was a freelance delivery rider who took orders from various platforms including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Ele.me and Meituan...

As gig workers, such delivery riders’ income depends on the number of orders they take, while they do not receive the social insurance and other benefits that the platforms offer to regular employees.

If a platform detected that Yuan had been working too long, it would issue a fatigue reminder, but he could keep working by switching to another platform, the person said, noting that platforms have no measures in place to force freelancer riders offline...

Most delivery riders now earn between 5,000 yuan and 6,000 yuan a month...Those wages might not be enough for them to live in big cities, where the demand for ordering takeout is highest.