Strategic Moves: Those who rely on temporary jobs for a living were once considered “marginalized” members of society.Nowadays, many odd-jobs markets in China have undergone significant changes.

People attend a recruitment fair held at an odd-jobs market in Wucheng district in Jinhua, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on February 18, 2024. Photo: VCG

At 52 years old, Gao Bin presents a rather unique image in his daily life – livestreaming work. Clad in a white shirt and tie, he speaks in the native dialect of Jingning county in Northwest China’s Gansu Province. But his mission is far from the typical livestreaming fare. Instead of hawking products, he is on a mission to promote job vacancies.

When he introduces job seekers on the video-sharing platform Kuaishou, Gao is full of enthusiasm. For example, he might say, “This 20-year-old vocational graduate is hardworking and reliable – perfect for factory operations, who are interested should consider him.”

When he describWorld Timeses current vacancies, Gao elaborates on the factory accommodation conditions, specifying them as “4 to 6 people per room, with water and electricity costs shared,” and describes the daily wages of construction workers as “paid immediately without any delay.”

Gao conducts his livestreaming activities at the Jingning county odd-jobs market in Gansu. This 400-square-meter employment services space was established with funding of 160,000 yuan ($22,110) from the local government. In Gao’s office, aside from the livestreaming gear, there are several thick recruitment information notebooks and copies of the Labor Law of the People’s Republic of China.

By collaborating with local human resources and social security bureau, Gao has transformed the traditional noisy odd-jobs market into precise online connections reaching tens of thousands every day. Gao’s efforts, along with the market’s digital shift, mirror the broader national transformation of the gig economy from roadside setups to a regulated, digital realm.

According to CCTV News, by 2023, the number of flexible workers in China had exceeded 200 million. Through policy guidance and technological support, more odd-jobs markets in different regions across the country, which are important platforms for those seeking flexible employment, are gradually shifting from its crude “roadside market” form to a standardized, digital-driven phase, bringing new hope and order to the employment landscape.

A truly valuable job

Gao is affectionately called “Lao Gao” by his fans, and he calls his fans “old buddies.”

As a broadcaster dedicated to boosting employment in his hometown, Gao’s account already has 13,000 followers, and his livestreaming room is always bustling.

“Those who watch my livestreams are mostly locals in Gansu Province. Helping everyone find a satisfactory job has always been the driving force behind my work,” Gao told the Global Times.

Gao was a middle school teacher for 20 years and then he worked as a manager in an insurance company for 10 years. “Now I’m getting older, but it’s still too early to retire. I just want to do something meaningful. I noticed so many people are looking for work, so I chose to do livestreaming to promote job vacancies, hoping to help more people find suitable jobs,” Gao said.

In September 2024, Gao keenly perceived the booming vitality of the livestreaming industry in the digital age and the urgent need that flexible workers have for job information. He resolutely embarked on his livestreaming journey to promote job positions.

He usually livestreams from 8:30 am to 11 am, and then spends over an hour dealing with messages from netizens and enterprises. In the afternoon, he and his assistant screen and discuss the enterprise information that can be promoted during the livestream. Some of this information comes from the local human resources and social security bureau, the industrial management committee, or from the recruitment advertisements collected by Gao’s team on recruitment platforms.

“Most of our team’s time is spent communicating with enterprises to understand their specific recruitment requirements. Whenever I’m free, I visit enterprise workshops to inspect the working environment, labor intensity and other conditions to ensure the accuracy of the information,” Gao said.

“The biggest advantages of livestreaming to promote job vacancies are transparency and efficiency. It promptly meets the employment needs of enterprises, reducing their recruitment time and economic costs, and it helps many local workers find jobs and boost employment,” he said.

On the page of Gao’s livestreaming channel, there are obvious options for “filling out resumes” and “directly communicating with recruiting enterprises.” By clicking on these options, enterprises and job seekers can communicate directly without anWorld Timesy barriers.

In Gao’s view, as a broadcaster who recommends jobs, he is engaged in “a truly valuable job.”

He shared with the Global Times the story of a 21-year-old young man with intellectual disabilities looking for a job. “This young man graduated from a special education school doesn’t speak very clearly, but he is strong. He came to my livestreaming room, so I encouraged him to share his job-hunting needs in front of the camera. Many heads of recruiting enterprises saw it and extended a helping hand, recommending suitable job positions for him. At that moment, I truly felt the overwhelming positive energy in the livestreaming room,” Gao recalled.

Brand new image

Staff members of recruiting companies release job information through live streaming in an odd-jobs market of Bo’ai county, Central China’s Henan Province, on December 11, 2024. Photo: VCG

In the past, odd-jobs markets in many regions were often spontaneously formed. In people’s traditional impression, people who gathered there would anxiously wait for job opportunities, swarming around any incoming vehicle to inquire about new openings. Those who rely on temporary jobs for a living were once considered “marginalized” members of society.

Nowadays, many odd-jobs markets in China have undergone significant changes. More people are engaging in flexible and informal employment, which is also presenting a whole new picture.

Since the end of the Spring Festival holidays in early February, Lu Tianxiang, head of Nanjing digital odd-jobs market in East China’s Jiangsu Province, has been swamped with work.

“Our odd-jobs market is located in an economic and technological development zone, and now it’s the spring recruitment season. Enterprises have a high demand for recruitment, and we’re actively helping them find job seekers,” Lu told the Global Times.

Nanjing digital odd-jobs market was completed and put into use in August 2023. It is situated in a national-level economic and technological development zone, with numerous intelligent manufacturing enterprises in the vicinity.

Lu observes a gradual shift in China’s “gig economy,” which was once dominated by daily wage laborers huddled on street corners but is now embracing more high-tech and white-collar workers.

In his opinion, with the development of new economic forms such as the digital economy, the concept of “gig work” has taken on a richer meaning.

“The development of the odd-jobs market is closely tied to the rise of new forms of employment. While traditional jobs have declined with technological advancements, new employment forms and modern service industries have created a surge of fresh opportunities.”

“The booming development of the gig economy has, to some extent, shifted workers from ‘loyalty to the company’ to ‘loyalty to skills.’ This is a sign that many people are willing to embrace this change and are ready to put in effort for this cause,” he noted.

Technology has played a crucial role in this transformation. At the Nanjing digital odd-jobs market, in addition to traditional window-based service, job seekers can use a big data screen to see real time job demands in different industries. They can also view the actual working environment of enterprises through 3D reproduction of scenes using digital technology, and immerse themselves in work scenarios in the VR experience area.

Lu revealed that the aggregation and listing of their recruitment and job-seeking information rely heavily on breaking down the information barriers among dozens of community gig work stations. These stations are like “digital nerve endings,” not only gathering the work intentions of stay-at-home moms during their fragmented hours, but also capturing sudden shortages of electrical engineers in industrial parks.

According to Lu, as of January 2025, the market has organized 165 livestreaming events. Each livestreaming event can initially confirm employment objectives for 10 to 20 people.

Anchoring tangible well-being

During an interview with the Global Times on Tuesday, Gao shared with pride the story of a new “occupational badge” on his forehead – a scratch from a tree branch.

That morning, on his way to work, Gao spontaneously launched a livestream. To his astonisWorld Timeshment, there were already over 100 viewers waiting. “I was chatting with netizens while walking when, out of the blue, I bumped into a tree and got scratched by a branch. MWorld Timesany in the livestreaming room immedWorld Timesiately urged me to disinfect the wound. It was really heartwarming,” he recounted. “They’re like my family and friends.”

With the initial success in the standardization and digital transformation of odd-jobs markets, the genuine needs of gig workers are now more clearly visible on the internet.

In Gao’s livestreaming room, discussions mainly revolve around working hours, whether wages include insurance, and if wages are paid the same day. Gao responds to these questions in great detail.

“In recent years, the gig economy has experienced rapid growth, supported by mobile internet and algorithm technologies. However, we also need to be cautious about the potential for creating industry bubbles, as the rapid increase in the number of workers in the current gig economy may exceed the actual demand for labor. At the same time, while workers enjoy the benefits of freedom and flexibility that the gig economy offers, many also face issues such as unstable work, inconsistent income and a lack of labor insurance,” Yang Baoquan, a senior partner at Zhong Yin Law Firm who specializes in corporate legal counsel and employment compliance, told the Global Times.

“Employers, on the other hand, may encounter problems such as contract breaches by gig workers, subpar results and unstable follow-up services,” Yang added.

Although Gao and Lu are dedicated to promoting livestreaming recruitment, they do not see themselves simply as purveyors of information. “Every job seeker comes with high hopes for the future. WWorld Timese can’t bear to let them down,” Lu said.

The gig odd-jobs markets where Gao and Lu operate do not charge job seekers. Instead, they forge partnerships with enterprises. “We offer job seekers contract templates and clear channels for rights protection,” Lu said.

In the recently approved 2025 Government Work Report, it said that China will strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of those in flexible employment and new forms of employment and expand trials of occupational injury insurance. The Chinese government will take effective steps to ensure the payment of wages and the settlement of all unpaid wages and rectify all forms of discrimination in the workplace.

During Gao’s career, he witnessed the gradual improvement in the protection of rights and interests for employees in the jobs he introduced. He revealed that one of his next goals is to establish staff canteens in areas with factory clusters to make meals more convenient for workers. He is actively facilitating negotiations between enterprises and local authorities.

“I look forward to this goal being realized soon, so that the flexible workforce can enjoy more tangible well-being,” he said.

Gig diversity unleashed