Meituan has taken the lead in expanding pension insurance subsidies for its delivery riders nationwide starting November, with all eligible riders able to apply. From initial trials in Quanzhou and Nantong in April to expansion to five cities in July, and now full coverage, the anxiety over "delivery riders having no retirement security" has been alleviated in just six months. The response from riders has been overwhelmingly positive, flooding social media with praise. Comments like "A complete surprise—nearly 500 yuan in monthly subsidies" and "This approach benefits more people—Meituan is generous" were accompanied by real-life testimonials from riders. For instance, Xia Shu, a crowd-sourced rider in Nanjing and one of the first beneficiaries, shared that after enrolling, his monthly pension contribution of 990.4 yuan was halved to 495.2 yuan with Meituan’s 50% subsidy, saving him around 6,000 yuan annually. His story inspired dozens of fellow riders to sign up, turning the subsidy into a "safety net" for their livelihoods.
Why has Meituan’s move garnered so much attention?
1. **Comprehensive Protection: Meituan’s Three-Tier Safety Net** Meituan’s welfare system is not just about pension subsidies—it’s a structured "basic + advanced + welfare" framework: - **Basic Security**: The pension subsidy covers 50% of riders’ contributions based on local standards. Riders in Guangzhou and Harbin, for example, stand to gain over 6,000 yuan annually. Since 2022, Meituan has also contributed 2 billion yuan in occupational injury insurance for over 13 million rider instances, alongside full commercial accident insurance coverage. - **Advanced Security**: Addressing riders’ fears of income loss due to personal or family crises, Meituan introduced大病关怀保障 (critical illness support) and education funds for riders’ children, even extending coverage to rival platforms’ riders under its "Little Kangaroo" program. - **Daily Welfare**: Practical perks include 52,000 rest stations nationwide, meal subsidies at 100,000 partner stores, free cervical/breast cancer screenings for female riders, and safety bonuses for accident-free riders.
2. **The "Meituan Solution": Pioneering in Uncharted Territory** Providing social security for millions of gig workers is unprecedented globally. Challenges include: - **Policy Innovation**: Traditional社保 (social security) systems don’t accommodate flexible labor relationships. Meituan collaborated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) since 2021, piloting occupational injury insurance in 2022 and refining pension subsidies through rider feedback in 2025. - **Industry Pressure**: With annual costs running into billions, smaller platforms can’t match Meituan’s commitments, risking a "welfare gap." Yet, Meituan’s model offers a scalable template. - **Execution Hurdles**: Overcoming riders’ preference for cash over subsidies required extensive outreach—500+ seminars and采纳 (adoption) of 10,000+ rider suggestions to simplify enrollment.
3. **Why Platforms Invest in Welfare** Beyond goodwill, Meituan’s strategy: - **Retains Riders**: Subsidies act as "long-term incentives," reducing turnover. Q1 2025 data shows monthly earnings for active riders reaching 7,230–10,100 yuan. - **Aligns with Policy**: MOHRSS’s push for gig-worker protections dovetails with Meituan’s trials, creating a "policy-enterprise synergy" that could reshape industry standards.
**Conclusion** While Meituan’s efforts are groundbreaking, solving social security for China’s 240 million gig workers demands broader systemic reforms—policy innovation, cross-industry collaboration, and public awareness. For riders, the subsidies are a start; for the sector, they’re a blueprint. The ultimate goal: ensuring every urban worker can age with dignity.