Study on Employee-sharing in China

• Published in: China economist (Beijing, China) Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 24 - 42
• Main Authors: Haijian, Li, Lingxiao, Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Institute of Industrial Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Collaboration; Corporate growth; Employees; Employers; Employment; Fertility; Gig economy; Internet of Things; Labor contracts; Labor force; Labor shortages; Labor unions; Part time employment; Population; Sharing economy; Workforce; China
• ISSN: 1673-8837
• DOI: 10.19602/j.chinaeconomist.2023.05.02

Labor shortages caused by an aging population and falling fertility present an obstacle to China 's modernization drive. Since the limited labor resources take time to increase, employee-sharing as a collaborative and innovative mode of employment represents a novel strategy for addressing the sharp declines in the working-age population and labor supply. Based on the theories of the sharing economy, gig economy, and skills economy, this paper develops a systematic framework for employee-sharing and explains its significance for the country, employers, and individuals in light of flexible employment and employee-sharing practices. At the national level, we advocate transforming the identity of employees from "corporate assets" to "social assets", their labor relationship from "dependence on employers" to "independent social members", and their teams from "corporate governance" to "labor union governance". At the corporate level, we recommend that businesses streamline fixed-term workforce and transform themselves into platform-connected social entities. At the individual level, we establish a basic framework for employee-sharing to expand employee income sources and improve the social protection system, and elaborate on its significance for the country, employers, and individuals. The employee-sharing mechanism can be adopted step by step by resolving issues such as employee labor contract termination and management of shared employees. This gradualist strategy seeks to create a mode of employee-sharing that is feasible and in line with current trends for the benefit of the country, employers, and employees, and to contribute a Chinese solution and perspective to the global question of labor recruitment.