Changes and difficulties of the "gig economy" in small towns
With the entry of the post-95s and post-00s into the job market, the meaning of doing odd jobs is transitioning from earning a living to realizing personal value, and promoting the county's gig economy towards high-quality development.
Some young people use part-time jobs to "raise dreams."
But it is worth noting that at present, there are still some problems in the gig economy in the county that need to be solved.
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Under the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the gig economy is accelerating into the county market.
Part-time jobs are not only a means for some "hitting workers" to make a living, but also a "just need" for some people to increase their income.
Its presentation methods are becoming increasingly diverse, including temporary employment in traditional industries, as well as new occupations in the era of the Internet and sharing economy, such as online car-hailing drivers...
The gig economy is different from the traditional nine-to-five working method. The working hours and methods are more flexible, and it also emphasizes the rapid matching of supply and demand.
Recently, the "Tsinghua-58 Tongzhen County Labour Force Survey" jointly issued by the County Governance Research Center of the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University and other units showed that under the epidemic, 31.7% of the groups started part-time jobs after the epidemic.
At the same time, as the post-95s and post-00s enter the job market, the meaning of doing odd jobs is transitioning from earning a living to realizing personal value, and promoting the county's gig economy towards high-quality development.
Two generations of odd jobs in small towns: from survival to value
The gig economy is changing from "employment spare tires" to "promising", and it has become an important channel for stabilizing employment and increasing the income of the people.
In 2020, 200 million people will be employed in my country's gig economy.
It also has an obvious pulling effect on the economy.
In November last year, according to the report "The Development Status, Social Impact and Policy Recommendations of the Gig Economy in the Internet Era" jointly issued by the Institute of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University and other units, estimated that in 2019, the proportion of the gig economy in my country's GDP It is estimated that by 2035, the gig economy will account for 6.82% of GDP, and its contribution to GDP growth will reach 13.26%.
What kind of group are county gig workers?
In November 2019, the "2019 China County Gig Economic Survey Report" jointly released by the County Governance Research Center of the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University and other units carried a portrait of them: more than 90% are middle-aged and young people, and women account for more than half of the odd jobs. More than 90% of undergraduate students are mainly engaged in the Internet, production labor, technical services and other fields.
58. Zhang Yanan, research manager of the Ministry of Commerce of the same town, said that at present, compared with developed countries, the gig economy in counties in my country is more inclined to sharing labor services rather than sharing knowledge and skills, and is still in the preliminary stage of exploration.
For some born in the 60s and 70s, in the early years, due to low academic qualifications and insufficient professional skills, it was difficult to find a suitable job in their hometown, and going out for odd jobs was more like a last resort.
Nearly 60 years old, Zhang has worked odd jobs for most of his life. In order to make money, he has tossed around factories and construction sites in Northeast, Guangdong and other places. It was only in recent years that he could not do anything outside, so he returned to his hometown.
Recently, a strange phenomenon that has occurred in the county is that it is difficult for people in small towns to find jobs on the one hand, but it is difficult for companies to recruit workers on the other.
Yang Zhewen, deputy magistrate of Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, pointed out that lack of work has long hampered the development of local enterprises.
Since May 2020, the local manufacturing industry has recovered, foreign trade orders have continued to flow in, and there has been a large labor gap.
Currently, the Xinchang labor market is open every week, and 70% of the recruiters are manufacturing companies.
The rise of the county economy has provided more possibilities for young people to return to their hometowns for flexible employment.
Among them, many highly educated talents returned to their hometowns to start odd jobs, leading the new trend of the county's gig economy.
According to the "Report on China's County Economic Development (2020)" issued by the Institute of Financial Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in December last year, there are 32 counties (cities) with a GDP exceeding 100 billion yuan.
Some young people are using odd jobs to "raise dreams."
The post-95 boy Zeng Shu (pseudonym) pursues his own business, and he has prepared for this for 4 years.
After graduating from university and working in Shanghai for a while, he went home and opened an independent shop.
Usually, in addition to looking after his own shop, he also does some part-time jobs to make up for the loss of the shop.
Zeng Shu said that this not only balances work and life, but also takes care of family affection.
Now, young people like him are not alone.
Gig and corporate expectations
The rise of the gig economy in small towns has brought convenience to local employees and saved costs for enterprises.
However, the labor relations of odd jobs are not guaranteed, income is unstable, and welfare benefits are insufficient; problems such as increased difficulty in corporate management cannot be ignored.
Wang Shuai (pseudonym), a young man from the small town, is born in the 90s, but he is already an old excavator driver on the construction site.
Wang Shuai said that although he is a part-time job, he is like an office worker. In winter, it is seven to six in the morning and six to six in the summer. Year after year, he sometimes works overtime until two in the morning and continues to work at 7:00 the next morning.
At the busiest time, I never took a day off in a month.
Wang Shuai went through several bosses before and after. No boss mentioned that he had to sign a labor contract or a labor contract with him. He just said: "Come and do it with me."
Speaking of signing the contract, Wang Shuai also worried that he would be "trapped."
If you sign a contract, you must provide the "annual package" service, "standby 365 days a year, unless the boss is out of work." If you are in a hurry, you have to pay a high price to hire a replacement go away.
To Wang Shuai's a little relief, the boss purchased accidental injury insurance for everyone. It is said that the insurance amount is 1 million yuan, and the construction site risk factor is relatively high, which can be regarded as an extra protection.
Although he also hopes to have five social insurance and one housing fund.
At present, Lao Zhang is thinking more about pension issues.
In the past, Lao Zhang had paid social security for one or two years when he was working in Guangdong, but he stopped after he left, because he was over-aged and he could not make up for it.
He said that now that he can do more while he is active, the burden on his children is not small.
For companies on the other end of the gig economy, this is also both an opportunity and a challenge.
For example, the composition of the gig labor force is highly uncertain, the level is uneven, the working hours are uncertain, the quality of work is difficult to control, and the labor disputes that may be caused by irregular employment of flexible labor.
Wang Shuai found that the excavator masters in the industry are highly mobile, and there are also a few people who just leave without wanting to do it.
If companies sign contracts with them, they may also face some other problems.
He said that he can understand the concerns behind companies not signing contracts.
How to play the role of flexible employment reservoir
Rong Ke, deputy director of the Institute of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, said that relevant departments, employers, and laborers need to do their own things to jointly build a new industry ecology to protect the rights and interests of hundreds of millions of odd workers.
The contract between gig workers and companies or platforms is mainly a labor relationship, not a labor relationship. Although there is only one word difference, the connotation is quite different.
Rong Ke said that at present, relevant laws and social security systems do not clearly provide for the protection of the rights and interests of gig workers. It is recommended that relevant departments establish and improve relevant laws and regulations, give clear definitions and positioning of gig workers, and improve the participation of flexible employees in the social insurance system.
As companies become more open and flexible use engineering is getting higher and higher, companies are also an important part of the new ecological construction of the gig economy.
The "Development Status, Social Impact and Policy Recommendations of the Gig Economy in the Internet Era" report pointed out that at present, some Internet platforms and employers are facing many difficulties and risks, especially in some areas where there is a risk of work injury, platform companies need to actively share Risks, the establishment of funds and business departments specifically for the protection of platform workers’ rights and interests.
Rong Ke pointed out, “This may be a burden for the enterprise, but it cannot be said that it is a burden.”
In Rong Ke's view, in the future, the skills of odd jobs will develop in the direction of advanced skills, diversification and more flexible working methods. In order to improve bargaining power, "workers must embrace skills."
Yang Zhewen also pointed out that in county towns, the original extensive labor force can no longer keep up with the development of enterprises, and it is necessary to increase skill training for odd jobs.
"In the next stage, the county economy will develop and still have to grab people. Not only talents, but also labor." Yang Zhewen said that by optimizing the employment environment and living environment, and promoting the equalization of public services, the grabbed labor will be retained. Come down.
In addition, He Xiaobin, director of the County Governance Research Center of the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, is also concerned that under the epidemic, small and micro enterprises as employers are vulnerable to shocks, which also means that more jobs will be released and more flexible employment opportunities will be released. "Pool" function.
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Zhao Limei Source: China Youth Daily
Version 05 on February 02, 2021