In Chinese labor law, an employment dispute arises from failure of one party to perform the employment contract. Employment disputes in China often arise over the termination of the contract, discharge of the employee, work hours and overtime, or social security contributions.

In this context “employee” refers to someone who has signed a full-time employment contract with an employer. An employer must be a registered business organization that has a contract with the employee, therefore individuals and certain organizations cannot be employers and therefore cannot be party to an employment dispute.

Learn more about social security obligations in China here.