Salespersons of a cross-border e-commerce company promote products via livestreaming in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, on April 13. [HAN CHUANHAO/XINHUA]

On April 26, the Chinese government issued a document offering guidelines on strengthening services and management for workers in new forms of employment — such as food delivery riders, couriers, ride-hailing drivers, and live-streamers who make a living through digital platforms.

It is China's first national-level policy document of its kind to focus specifically on the needs of this emerging workforce.

As China's social security and public service systems were developed alongside industrialization and are largely based on the work unit model, traditional workers are tied to a fixed employer, sign formal labor contracts, contribute to social insurance and receive corresponding benefits.

But workers engaged in new forms of employment have to face ambiguity.

Their flexible arrangements, often involving platforms, outsourcing firms and franchisees, create complex employment relationships.

As a result, these workers often lack clear legal protection and institutional support in areas such as pay, work injury insurance, rest rights and social security.

China's population service system requires that everyone, regardless of age, occupation, household registration status or employment type, be included.

Workers in new forms of employment, however, represent a large blind spot in this system. They often work away from their place of household registration, don't have stable employment and live in a dispersed manner.

The guidelines are meant to close that institutional gap by formally bringing this group into the national services and governance system, safeguarding their rights and providing tailored support.

The guidelines take into account the realities of the new forms of employment and clarify the responsibilities of all parties involved so that rights protection is based on clear and enforceable standards. This is essential to achieving high-quality and full employment.

Platform companies and courier firms are required to improve their management systems, use labor contracts or written agreements suited to the sector, and define rights and obligations in a lawful and reasonable way based on actual working arrangements.

The guidelines also urge platform companies to set remuneration in line with the workload, pay wages in full and on time and ensure workers' right to rest. They call for enhanced protection in special conditions such as extreme weather.

To ensure that the concerns of workers are heard, mechanisms will be established for consultation and dialogue on matters affecting their rights, with transparent outcomes.

Practices, such as unreasonable fees or commissions, unfair traffic allocation and abuse of market dominance, are expected to be investigated and punished. The protection of workers' rights may also be included in corporate social responsibility assessments.

To address a long-standing concern of workers, the guidelines have also tackled algorithm-related issues.

Platform companies must improve transparency and guarantee workers' rights to be informed about, participate in and make choices regarding algorithmic rules.

When adjusting algorithms, platforms should consult labor unions and worker representatives, and reasonably set rules on task allocation, pricing and time estimation, while strictly complying with filing requirements.

The guidelines call for measures to curb excessive competition, prevent harm to workers' rights, protect personal data and privacy, and crack down on fraud, predatory lending and other crimes targeting this segment of the workforce.

On the public services front, basic services need to be provided based on place of residence rather than household registration, a principle firmly upheld to allow services to follow the flow of workers.

Measures include improving social security systems suited to flexible employment, facilitating the transfer and continuation of social insurance, expanding pilot programs for occupational injury protection, enabling direct settlement of cross-regional medical expenses and exploring the inclusion of flexible workers in the housing provident fund.

The guidelines call for multi-party coordination mechanisms led by townships and communities to address practical issues such as access to residential compounds, parking areas, meals, rest areas and restroom facilities.

Community service centers and union stations are to be used to build service hubs such as "driver homes" and "rider stations", offering basic amenities including drinking water, charging facilities, hot meals and emergency supplies.

Outstanding workers are to be recognized and rewarded while regular skills competitions are to be organized to enhance professional pride.

Targeted support is also emphasized. Workers financially impoverished are to receive social assistance in accordance with regulations, while support is to be provided to the families of workers injured or killed on the job.

The guidelines highlight the importance of psychological services in easing work-related stress, expanded vocational training, improved systems for skill certification and professional evaluation, and clearer pathways for career advancement.

The guidelines come at a time when there are new changes in China's population structure and the platform economy is reshaping employment patterns.

The social security system is shifting from one centered on work units to one centered on society at large, extending protection from "employees of units" to "members of society."

By standardizing employment practices, safeguarding entitlements and opening pathways for career development, the guidelines lay a foundation for the long-term, healthy development of new forms of employment.

With the help of the guidelines, jobs that were once temporary stopgaps can be transformed into viable, stable careers, unlocking the potential of tens of millions of workers as a source of human capital.

The author is a researcher at the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.