Discussion keeps the world turning.
Gig work in China is getting a major upgrade.
Food delivery giants are now building dedicated rider apartments and expanding welfare plans.
The stakes for the future of this workforce are immense,
but are these benefits real permanent gains,
or will the cost just be shifted back to the workers through the algorithm?
We're live from our studios in Beijing.
This is Round Table.
I'm Steve.
Thanks for being with us today.
And for the show, I'm with Fei Fei and Yu Shan.
First up.
China's largest cities are offering substantial support to their vast rider delivery workforce.
Just recently,
we saw the rollout of Maituan's rider apartments that dramatically undercut local housing costs.
This strategy, also adopted by LMA in places like Shanghai,
offers apartments designed for rider life.
At the same time,
major players like Maituan and LMA and also JD.com are enhancing comprehensive welfare coverage under government guidance.
These are significant new labor costs.