What’s trending?

Over half of China’s delivery workers make less than 5,000 yuan per month ($766), with only 1.3% making more than 10,000 yuan, according to a survey from China’s State Post Bureau quoted in Beijing Youth Daily on March 22.

The hashtag #Over-half-of-delivery-workers-earn-less-than-5000-yuan-per-month# has been viewed over 260 million times on Weibo.

What’s the story?

China has one of the biggest e-commerce and food delivery markets in the world, and the industry’s demand for labor was a tantalizing prospect for many who would previously have toiled in factories and on farms. State media helped to perpetuate the belief that couriers could make a decent living, reporting that average monthly salaries in the sector could reach 8000 to 9000 yuan.

But a new survey from China’s national post authority suggests more than half of China’s delivery people make less than 5,000 yuan per month, and only a sliver make more than 10,000, quantifying the suggestion they are poorly compensated for their well-documented hardships.

At China’s internet giants, fresh graduates can often expect an annual salary of at least 150,000 yuan, which can easily reach 500,000 yuan in three to five years. In 2019, China’s average annual urban wage for non-private sector workers was about 90,000 yuan.

In January, Liu Jin, a 47-year-old food delivery worker, set himself on fire because his employer delayed issuing him with a 5,000-yuan pay check. Two bystanders put out the fire, but Liu, who delivered food for Ele.me’s Fengniao service, initially refused to be taken to the hospital, insisting he first wanted to discuss the issue of the money he was owed for his “blood and sweat.”

What are people saying online?

Many on Weibo expressed their anger at the news. One popular comment read, “We should challenge the big delivery companies! They are feeding on the blood and flesh of grassroots delivery workers.”

But some said the delivery workers should appreciate what they had. “5,000 yuan is already a decent pay compared to a lot of other professions. I think the media should stop exaggerating how miserable the deliver workers are,” said one Weibo user.

Related: In Depth: ‘Blood and Sweat’ Don’t Pay Off for China’s Army of Delivery Workers

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