At present, there are about 200 million flexible employees, represented by riders, couriers, and domestic workers across the country. The vast majority of them are not covered by work injury insurance. Once a work injury occurs, individuals and families are vulnerable to huge impacts.

According to a survey conducted by a reporter from Banyuetan, the willingness of flexible employees to participate in insurance is currently high, and there is also a large balance in the work-related injury insurance fund. However, three major policy obstacles have prevented them from participating in insurance.

1

  It is difficult for flexible employees to participate in insurance

  Xiao Zhou is a courier in Wuhan. He has to receive and deliver 200 parcels every day during peak hours.

"Riding an electric bike on the streets and alleys to receive orders and deliver orders is dangerous. Many colleagues have had traffic accidents, but they are unable to participate in work-related injury insurance." Xiao Zhou said.

  The reporter from Banyue Tan consulted with social security hotlines in many places including Wuhan and learned that as long as the labor and labor contracts are signed, the employer should pay the work-related injury insurance fees; flexible employment groups can also be covered by the employer’s payment, but the individual workers cannot pay for the insurance. .

Xiao Zhou signed an outlet contract with the express company, and the express company did not agree to pay for work-related injury insurance, so he has been blocked from work-related injury insurance.

  According to relevant national regulations, all enterprises, institutions, social organizations and other organizations, as well as individual industrial and commercial households with employees, except for civil servants, should participate in work injury insurance.

National statistics show that in 2019, the number of urban employees in my country exceeded 440 million, while at the end of 2019, the number of people participating in work-related injury insurance was only 250 million.

Social security officials in many places said that the vast majority of those who are not covered by work-related injury insurance are currently in flexible employment.

2

  Three major policy obstacles become "blocking points"

  According to many interviewees, at present, a large number of flexible employees are unable to participate in insurance mainly because of three major policy obstacles.

  -Policy threshold.

The reporter from Banyuetan learned that flexible employment industries, including express delivery and meal delivery, are not included in the "Work Injury Insurance Regulations" who should be insured.

In the work-related injury insurance industry risk classification table, there is no risk classification for express delivery and meal delivery industries, and the corresponding payment rate cannot be determined.

  ——Insured channels.

In the current work injury insurance system design, workers are included in the work injury insurance category and must be paid by the employer.

A person in charge of the local social security department said that many flexible employers are unwilling to participate in insurance because they are worried about paying fees for flexible employment groups, which will easily form de facto labor relations. They will have to bear social security payment obligations such as "old age, childbirth, unemployment", etc. The overall labor cost of the enterprise.

  -Identification of work-related injuries.

According to relevant regulations, after a worker encounters an occupational injury, he needs to be certified for work injury before he can enjoy work injury insurance benefits.

Only during working hours and in the workplace, injuries caused by accidents due to work can be recognized as work-related injuries.

However, many flexible employees often work alone, and the boundaries between working hours and workplaces are blurred, which brings many challenges to the identification of work-related injuries.

3

  Many places called for broadening the channels for insurance participation

  Since last year, with the intensive introduction of policies to support multi-channel flexible employment by the state and localities, calls for the expansion of work-related injury insurance have become increasingly louder.

At present, some areas are also carrying out work-related injury insurance pilot work to cover more flexible employment groups.

  The first category is to introduce local policies to include flexible employment groups in the scope of work injury insurance. For example, in January, Guangdong Province introduced a trial method for specific personnel to participate in work injury insurance, which for the first time included domestic workers and employees in new business types who have not established labor relations. It is included in the scope of work-related injury insurance; the other is in Nantong, Jiangsu and other places, which adopt government-led and commercial insurance companies to establish independent occupational injury protection to facilitate the participation of flexible employment groups.

  "Work-related injury insurance is a national system, and relevant policies and regulations need to be adjusted from the top-level design level." Chi Suxian, deputy director of the Qinghai Provincial Social Security Bureau, and others said that the current priority is to fully include flexible employment groups in the coverage of work-related injury insurance policies. Correspondingly, flexible employment industry risk classification, smoothing the policy channels for them to participate in work-related injury insurance.

  Zheng Bingwen, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the World Social Security Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in the pilot process of occupational injury protection, new technologies such as big data and blockchain can be used to accurately assess the work injury risks of flexible employment groups in different industries and reasonably determine insurance premiums. The premium rate not only guarantees the coverage and accessibility of insurance, but also does not significantly increase the burden on enterprises and maintain the vitality of the economy.

  Source: "Ban Yue Tan" Issue 6, 2021. Original title: "It is difficult for flexible employees to participate in insurance, where is it blocked?"

  Half a month to talk about reporters: Li Jinfeng Zhang Ziqi