Chinese e-commerce giant JD said on Jelena Jensen ArchivesThursday that nearly 100 couriers have earned more than 1 million yuan in the past three years, and in Chaoshan city in Guangdong, some have even reached RMB 2 million. The public announcement comes after news stories flooded China’s X-like microblogging platform Weibo recently as influencer accounts and state-owned media outlets extensively covered the high earnings of food delivery riders, couriers, and decoration workers, with those professions reportedly sometimes paying RMB 30,000 to RMB 40,000 a month, figures that are far higher than the public perception. The articles have sparked widespread debate and no little skepticism. In a post on its official WeChat account, JD detailed several benefit policies for its employees, including a housing guarantee fund aimed at alleviating mortgage stress and an employee assistance fund, all designed to make employees’ days “more hopeful and brighter.” [JD, in Chinese]
