On 5 December 2024, Dr Carsten Stender, Director-General for European and International Employment and Social Policy, welcomed his Chinese counterpart Mr JIANG Wei, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MoHRSS), and his delegation at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
The purpose of the visit was to continue the dialogue on the future of work. The German and Chinese delegations exchanged views on good working conditions for platform workers. Both Germany and China are seeking new ways to organise platform work: in Germany, the EU directive on improving working conditions in platform work will soon be transposed into national law. In China, compulsory accident insurance for platform workers has recently been introduced for the first time.
The delegations also discussed how structural change can be made just. Both countries face similar challenges here, including in their coal-mining regions, and want to establish green industrial jobs. Under the term ‘Just Transition’, Germany and China are working together at the International Labour Organization and in the G20 to promote just structural change.
‘The labour markets in Germany and China are both undergoing decisive changes, for example, due to the increasing prevalence of platform work and structural change. In both countries, we want employees not to be left behind, but to benefit from these paradigm shifts. That is why we both benefit from mutual exchange,’ said Dr Carsten Stender, Director-General for European and International Employment and Social Policy.
The Chinese delegation was also able to exchange ideas on platform work with the German Confederation of Trade Unions. During an on-site visit at the German division of the online delivery company Wolt Enterprises, the delegation was able to gain practical insights into platform work from a business perspective.
The Sino-German dialogue on the future of work was launched in Beijing in autumn 2023 and continued in Berlin last week. It is planned to continue the dialogue in China in 2025, when structural change will again be on the agenda.