In today's fast-paced urban environment, workers in emerging employment formats, such as couriers, food delivery personnel, and ride-hailing drivers, have become integral to daily life. Their contributions offer immense convenience, yet the working conditions they face are often harsh and unwelcoming. Incidents like food delivery riders being denied insurance claims after accidents, or ride-hailing drivers working over twelve hours without sufficient rest, have sparked public concern and debate over the safety and rights of these workers. As these modern employment forms proliferate, ensuring the labor rights of these workers and enhancing urban governance has emerged as a crucial social issue.

The rise of these new forms of employment is intricately tied to advancements in internet technology and the growth of the digital economy. This new labor model, characterized by its diverse tasks and flexible hours, has attracted millions into the workforce. Recent authoritative statistics reveal that the total workforce in the country consists of approximately 402 million employees, with the number of those engaged in new employment formats reaching an astounding 84 million—about 21% of the total workforce. Protecting the labor rights of these workers is not just a matter of personal welfare; it directly affects the happiness of numerous families and the ongoing expansion of employment opportunities.

However, the complexity inherent in these employment models presents significant challenges. New employment format workers often face insufficient protections in the event of occupational hazards, compounded by their generally lower capacity to endure risks. Issues such as the difficulty in establishing labor relations, along with complex investigations around workplace injuries, highlight the shortcomings of existing legal frameworks. Consequently, new demands have arisen for a more robust protections network for these workers, necessitating enhanced measures to ensure their occupational safety and effective access to related services.

From July 2022 onwards, several provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Guangdong initiated pilot programs aimed at providing occupational injury insurance across sectors such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and local freight services. These initiatives have made significant progress in promoting comprehensive coverage under the “new injury” insurance schemes. In the current year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has issued a series of guidelines aimed at encouraging businesses to comply with labor laws and to effectively protect the rights of workers in new employment formats, while also guiding workers in their legal rights to seek validation of these protections.

Establishing a solid social security system for flexible employees, migrant workers, and individuals in new employment formats is a vital component of enhancing the overall social safety net. Moving forward, it would be beneficial to continue disseminating existing best practices while simultaneously exploring the development of more equitable mechanisms for occupational injury protection. This effort will aid in the regulation and healthy evolution of the platform economy.

In truth, advancing occupational injury protections does not merely impose burdens on companies; it also serves to mitigate their operational risks. Businesses and employees exist as part of a shared ecosystem, and strengthening labor rights guarantees will ultimately provide companies with healthier, enduring growth opportunities. From this perspective, platform firms should indeed pay greater attention to the rights of workers in new employment formats.

The laborers engaged in these new employment styles contribute greatly to the urban landscape and should be afforded equivalent labor rights protections. Such reciprocity highlights a fundamental tenet in enhancing public welfare.