评论数说丨中国劳动力市场灵活自主性日益增强

China's surveyed urban unemployment rate recovered to pre-pandemic levels in March to 5.3 percent, after reaching a record high of 6.2 percent in February (2020), when JD Logistics announced that the company had created over 20,000 new jobs to help with deliveries.

中国城镇调查失业率在去年2月创下6.2%的新高后，于今年3月恢复到了5.3%的疫前水平。在去年2月，仅京东物流就宣布，新开放2万多个岗位，以帮助快递运营。

The increase in China's unemployment rate from 2019 to 2020 was lower than that of the United States, the European Union, and Russia.

中国年度失业率从2019到2020的增长幅度，比美国、欧盟和俄罗斯的更低。

China's growing gig economy helped to cushion unemployment during the pandemic, reflecting the strengthening autonomy and flexibility among the country's workers.

而中国新兴的零工经济，不仅缓解了疫情期间的失业困境，还见证了劳动力自主性和灵活性的增强。

Couriers hired by firms or individuals on short-term contracts, along with other independent workers who could work without commuting, are part of China's gig economy – a burgeoning section of the workforce worldwide.

骑手，以及其他与公司或个体签订短期合同，不用通勤上班的独立工作者，共同构成了零工经济的一部分，也汇聚成全球新兴的一类劳动力群体。

How has this flexibility trend developed in the employment market over the past decades?

过去几十年里，这种灵活就业的趋势是怎样在就业市场发展的呢？

Firstly, employees had limited career choices in earlier times. In the 1950s, the government allocated urban residents to work in the dominant state-owned enterprise sector. By the 2000s, "flexible employment" was being promoted, and more people chose to work outside of the state sector, whether as self-employed persons or in private businesses.

首先，早前的员工面临非常有限的职业选择。在20世纪50年代，政府分配城镇居民到占据主导地位的国有企业工作。自2000年起，“灵活就业”的概念盛行，更多人选择到非国有企业工作，或成为个体户，或在私营企业就业。

As a result, urban employees at state-owned entities declined by about 41 percent from 1992 to 2008, while those working in the private sector in the cities increased more than nine-fold.

相应地，从1992到2008，在国企工作的员工比例下降了约41%，而在城镇私营和个体企业工作的人数增长了九倍多。

When it came to the 2010s, the time of "Internet Plus," job seekers with appropriate skills started to utilize online platforms and to take up emerging professions, such as home organizer and mobile app designer.

2010年后则是“互联网+”的时代，拥有特定技能的求职者开始利用网络平台涉足新兴职业，如家居收纳师和手机应用设计师。

The internet makes it possible for people to work without the limits of time and space, leading to the acceleration of the gig economy. The flexible employee market in China experienced a compound annual growth rate of 45 percent between 2016 and 2019 – from about 155 billion yuan ($24 billion) to about 478 billion yuan ($74 billion), according to a recent report.

互联网使工作可以跨越时间和空间的限制，从而加速了零工经济的发展。一份最近的报告显示，2016到2019年间，中国灵活用工市场以45%的年复合增长率，从1550亿元（240亿美元）增长到4780亿元（740亿美元）。

Secondly, space-wise, the mobility of the employee market for non-agricultural workers in rural areas has also increased. In the 1950s, rural residents were advised not to blindly migrate to cities for jobs.

第二，空间上来看，来自农村地区的非农业劳动者，他们的地域流动性也增强了。1950年，农村居民曾被劝告不要盲目流入城市找工作。

These restrictions were later eased. As urbanization and the services sector took the lead among the three economic sectors, increasing numbers of job seekers in rural areas started to migrate to cities. Not only are they flowing to the more developed eastern areas, but they are also finding more opportunities in the western region.

这些限制到后来才被解除。随着城市化的发展，服务业在三大产业结构中的比重升级。越来越多的求职者离开农村，搬到城市寻找工作。他们不仅向经济更发达的东部地区迁徙，也在西部地区发现越来越多的机会。

From 2011 to 2019, the number of migrant workers from rural areas rose by over 37 million, and the ratio of those working in western areas climbed by 4.5 percentage points. 

从2011到2019年，农民工的规模增加了3700多万，而在西部工作的农民工占比增加了4.5个百分点。

Thirdly, a generation of individuals revealing an entrepreneurial spirit and pursuing greater autonomy launched businesses of their own. They became more actively engaged in high-tech and internet industries and even took the lead globally.

第三，展现出企业家精神，并追求更高自主性的新一代劳动者创办了自己的企业。他们更积极地投身于高科技和互联网产业，甚至在全球位于领先地位。

According to a CB Insights report, in 2019, China had 107 unicorn start-ups – young private companies with a valuation of over $1 billion – ranking No.2 around the world behind America's 214. China has 9 of the 32 "super unicorns," which have a valuation of more than $10 billion.

根据CB Insights的报，2019年，中国出现了107家市场价值超过10亿美元的年轻私营企业，即独角兽企业，仅次于美国的214家，位居全球第二。全球32家市值超过100亿美元的“超级独角兽”里，中国有9个。

At the same time, higher labor market flexibility has its own risks. Mounting disputes have triggered concerns about the adequacy of insurance and benefits of migrant workers from rural areas. Society is expecting more targeted laws and regulations to protect the interests of this vulnerable group.

与此同时，劳工市场更高的灵活性也伴随着相应的风险。越来越多的争议引发了人们对于农民工权益及其保障的担忧。社会期待更多具有针对性的立法和规章制度，去维护这个脆弱群体的利益。

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