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Meituan riders out-earn the average worker in Beijing, data from food delivery giant shows

A new report by the company portrays gig employment as an alternative for people in between full-time jobs

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A Meituan food delivery courier in Beijing. Photo: Bloomberg
Coco Fengin Beijing
New data released by Meituan, China’s largest on-demand services provider, showed that its food delivery crews working in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen earn more on average than the local population.
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According to the report, Meituan delivery people who work in major cities and meet the company’s minimum work time requirement took home an average monthly pay of 11,000 yuan (US$1,550) in June. Those who work less than the minimum time made 7,354 yuan on average.

Both numbers were higher than Beijing’s per-capita monthly disposable income of 7,180 yuan in the first half of the year.

Amid China’s ongoing economic challenges, more people have turned to flexible employment in the food delivery and ride-hailing sectors to support themselves while looking for full-time jobs.

Food delivery riders for Meituan in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg
Food delivery riders for Meituan in Shanghai. Photo: Bloomberg

In the first six months of the year, the number of delivery workers in Beijing soared 50 per cent year on year to 17,000, while the unemployment rate edged down slightly to 4.1 per cent, according to the municipal statistics bureau.

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