Stronger social security support for people in flexible and new forms of employment pledged

China has so far established the world's largest social insurance network, and the government will continue to optimize the social security policies for flexible workers, migrant workers and people in new forms of employment to make sure the people share the benefits of national development.

By the end of 2024, the national basic pension insurance has covered 1.07 billion people, and 250 million people and 300 million people joined the national unemployment and work-related injury insurance programs, respectively, with these social insurance programs securing them a reliable basic living, said Wang Xiaoping, minister of human resources and social security, at a news conference in Beijing on Sunday.

She said that the ministry has paid attention to the improvement of social security and working rights protection of the flexible workers and people in new forms of employment such as food delivery persons and ride-hailing drivers in recent years.

She said that the ministry will continue to relax restrictions on flexible workers' payment of social security insurance, and increase the number of trial cities offering occupational injury insurance for people in new forms of employment in the future.

"We will increase the basic pensions for the retired and simplify people's access to social security services. We will also enhance the promotion of social security policies to the public to let people get basic and clear social insurance knowledge and higher engagement in these programs," she added.