Platform-mediated informal employment, the state, and labor politics in China

Abstract

This chapter focuses on labor-intensive, geographically tethered work that are predominated by Chinese rural migrants. Drawing on participant observation in food and parcel delivery, supplemented with discussions of recent studies on delivery and ride-hailing services, the chapter examines the informalization of employment and the response of workers to exploitation and inequality in the platform economy. As conventional management methods have evolved to mixed modes of human resources organization and algorithmic data-driven operations, these changes in the labor process open new inquiries about employment relations, worker agency, and collective actions, as well as the opportunities of union representation. An exploration of the links between production and social reproduction is useful for assessing questions of worker activism and acquiescence. Finally, the conclusion reflects on the consequences of China's informalization and the prospects of stronger labor protections.