In Chinese employment law, part-time employment is work paid on an hourly basis for fewer than on average 4 hours a day and fewer than 24 hours per week. The part-time employment system is flexible, in contrast to full-time employment which is heavily regulated and rigid.

A written employment contract is not required, and flexible work hours are permitted without prior regulatory approval, and the arrangement can be terminated at will. In China, part-time employment has been increasing rapidly especially in the food service and retail industries, and is increasingly favored by businesses as a means to reduce wage costs.

Since hiring a full-time worker involves a large commitment under labor law, part-time employment is an easy way for workers experience job loss to rapidly get back into the labor market, thus, it helps reduce unemployment.

Thus, Chinese policy thinking sees the at-will employment rules for part-time workers as being a strategy for preventing potential widespread unemployment in the economy.

Learn more about Chinese employment law at our FAQ here.