Deep Dive delves into hot issues in Hong Kong and mainland China. Our easy-to-read articles provide context to grasp what’s happening, while our questions help you craft informed responses. Check sample answers at the end of the page.
News: Hong Kong’s gig economy workers want industry regulation
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Delivery workers have urged for more employment protection in a series of strikes
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Although the gig economy is on the rise, better protection for workers is needed
Hong Kong food delivery rider John Lam* is careful while delivering orders on his motorcycle. The 40-year-old knows that if he has a work-related accident, he will receive few benefits and minimal compensation.
“While consistent food delivery work can lead to a very good income, the major downside is that it leaves couriers like me without essential basic and labour protections,” he said. Lam delivers food for the city’s two online platforms, Foodpanda and Keeta.
“It would be nice if the government regulated the industry, granting us employee status and entitling us to annual leave, sick leave and a pension.”
Lam earns an average of HK$45,000 to HK$50,000 monthly, working 10 hours a day, six days a week. He said he was fully aware of the risks when he started working with online food delivery platforms five years ago. Still, the money was too good to pass up.
Lam is among the thousands of Hongkongers making a living in the so-called gig economy. He is also not alone in calling for the industry to be regulated.
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Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told lawmakers in May that the government would introduce proposals to enhance platform workers’ rights and benefits within the year. Authorities would consider reinforcing protections for them through legislative means.
Sun’s remarks came shortly after several strikes by Keeta workers. Their demands included increasing their pay per order, better protections and higher safeguards against illegal workers.
In Hong Kong, those working for food delivery and ride-hailing platforms are among the most visible members of the gig economy. The city had as many as 64,000 online delivery couriers and 50,000 app-based ride-hailing and taxi drivers in 2023, according to calculations by the Legislative Council Secretariat’s research office.
A survey commissioned by the Labour Department and conducted between December 2023 and March 2024 found that nearly 13,000 people had worked for food and goods delivery digital platforms in the previous year.
The city does not have legislation specifically covering digital platform workers. They are usually classified as self-employed. This means they are normally not entitled to benefits such as paid annual leave and sick leave as stipulated under the Employment Ordinance, payouts for work-related injuries under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, or minimum wage protection.
Staff writers
* Name changed at interviewee’s request
Question prompts
1. According to News, which of the following statements are true?
(1) John Lam supports government regulation of the food delivery industry to improve workers’ rights and protections.
(2) Gig economy workers in Hong Kong are automatically entitled to benefits such as sick leave and paid annual leave.
(3) The Hong Kong government is considering legislation to improve conditions for platform workers.
(4) There were more than 64,000 app-based ride-hailing and taxi drivers in Hong Kong as of 2023.
A. (1), (2) only
B. (2), (4) only
C. (1), (3) only
D. (3), (4) only
2. List TWO demands that striking delivery workers had in regard to employment benefits.
3. Why might Hong Kong food delivery workers want the government to regulate the gig economy, and what issues could regulation address? Explain using News and your own knowledge.
Photo
Question prompts
1. According to the information in News, why do delivery workers need to be careful while they are on the job?
2. Using News and your own knowledge, list TWO reasons why people might choose to work in the gig economy.
Illustration
Question prompts
1. List TWO changes that delivery workers are hoping the government will implement to improve their working conditions.
2. What do the roadblocks labelled “Labour Protections” and “Pay rates” in the illustration represent in the context of the gig economy?
Issue: Hong Kong must balance protection with overregulation, experts say
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City has been urged to look at Britain’s three-tier employment model as a reference
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Some called for a legal definition of gig workers
In April, delivery rider Ahmad, 32, injured his back after falling off his motorbike while delivering for Keeta.
“When I was injured and couldn’t work for 10 days, I had zero income. In my line of work, more effort means more pay, and sometimes rushing to get ahead can lead to accidents,” said Ahmad, who asked to be identified by his first name only.
The Hong Kong resident hopes government regulation will improve labour rights for delivery riders – such as requiring companies to offer full-time contracts with clear terms for salary and workplace injury compensation.
Ahmad joined the strikes against Keeta after his pay per order dropped from an average of HK$50 to HK$28 following Deliveroo’s exit from Hong Kong in April.
Other riders believe a legal framework could also help deter illegal workers from joining these platforms.
Heiwai Tang, associate dean and professor of economics at the University of Hong Kong’s business school, said the ideal regulatory regime for Hong Kong should include sufficient protection against workplace injuries, as well as safeguards against platforms using overly aggressive algorithms that put too much pressure on workers, such as penalties for running late.
There should also be a legal definition for gig workers and a body set up where all stakeholders in the industry could communicate with each other.
But Tang said it was important to maintain the flexibility of gig work, as overregulation could drive people away from these jobs.
“The appearance of these platforms shows there is a clear demand for them; some people really need this flexibility,” he said.
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“A gig worker should not be seen as a worker who has a nine-to-five job that has the protections of minimum wage, maximum working hours or contributions to their MPF. If you do too much, everyone will lose.”
Unionist lawmaker Lam Chun-sing said gig workers should not be classified as full-time employees, as this would result in higher costs for platform operators while workers would lose some freedom.
Lam pointed to Britain’s three-tier employment status model as an example, with categories of employee, worker and self-employed. Employees have full employment rights, while the self-employed receive the least protection. The middle tier, workers, have limited rights, such as minimum wage and holiday pay.
He said the Hong Kong government should consider defining a third type of employment mode for gig workers, which would entitle them to some protections.
The Labour Department said it had received 83 employee compensation claims involving digital platform workers between January 2021 and May 2025.
As of June 13, 30 of these cases were concluded with compensation paid, and 48 were withdrawn or not pursued by the employees.
Staff writers
Question prompts
1. Which of the following statements is true?
(1) Ahmad joined the strike against Keeta partly because his pay per order decreased significantly after Deliveroo exited Hong Kong.
(2) Unionist lawmaker Lam Chun-sing supports creating a third employment category for gig workers that offers some protections without removing flexibility.
(3) Heiwai Tang believes the government should give gig workers the same protections as full-time employees, including minimum wage and MPF contributions.
(4) The Labour Department received over 90 employee compensation claims from digital platform workers between 2021 and 2024.
A. (1), (2) only
B. (2), (4) only
C. (1), (3) only
D. (3), (4) only
2. List TWO measures that have been proposed to improve the working conditions of gig workers in Hong Kong.
3. How do experts and lawmakers differ in their views on balancing worker protections and job flexibility in the gig economy? Explain using Issue and your own knowledge.
Glossary
labour protections: legal and human rights relating to labour relations between workers and employers. In Hong Kong, this could include benefits such as sick pay and compensation for work-related injuries.
gig economy: a labour market commonly characterised by temporary or freelance work, usually through digital platforms such as Uber and Foodpanda
minimum wage: the lowest hourly or daily pay that employers are legally required to offer workers. The statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong is HK$42.10 per hour, effective May 1, 2025.
aggressive algorithms: automated systems used by platforms to monitor and manage gig workers, often penalising them for minor delays or pushing them to complete more orders in a short amount of time
Sample answers
News
1. C
2. Striking delivery workers have demanded better protections, including employee status, annual leave, sick leave, and a pension. (accept any two answers)
3. Food delivery workers like Lam want the government to regulate the gig economy so they can gain access to basic employment protections such as annual leave, sick leave, and pension benefits. Currently, most gig workers are classified as self-employed, which means they are not entitled to protections under laws like the Employment Ordinance or the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance. This leaves them vulnerable, especially in the case of work-related accidents, despite often working long hours and earning relatively high incomes.
Photo
1. Delivery workers need to take extreme care because they lack basic labour protections and are usually not covered by employee benefits. As mentioned in the text, if Lam has a work-related accident, he will receive little compensation and no paid sick leave, since gig workers are typically classified as self-employed. From a practical standpoint, they also face physical risks, such as road accidents, due to long working hours, fatigue, or adverse weather conditions, yet they have no safety net to rely on if they are injured.
2. People might choose gig jobs because of the possibility of high pay, the flexibility of the working hours, the ease of signing up for and leaving such positions, or because it is difficult to find a full-time white-collar job. (accept all reasonable answers)
Illustration
1. Delivery workers hope the government will require companies to offer full-time contracts with clear terms on pay and injury compensation and create a legal framework that deters illegal workers and provides basic labour protections, such as a minimum wage and holiday pay.
2. The roadblocks symbolise the major challenges and uncertainties faced by gig workers, such as food delivery riders. “Labour Protections” refers to the lack of basic rights such as sick leave, injury compensation, and paid holidays, while “Pay rates” represents declining earnings and the unstable income structure after events like Deliveroo’s exit from Hong Kong. These obstacles make it difficult for gig workers to move forward securely in their careers.
Issue
1. A
2. Introduce a legal definition for gig workers and create a platform for industry stakeholders to communicate / Establish a third employment category that offers some protections, such as minimum wage and holiday pay, without full employee status.
3. Professor Heiwai Tang and lawmakers such as Lam Chun-sing both acknowledge the importance of protecting gig workers, but they emphasise different aspects of the balance. Tang stressed the need for safeguards, such as protection against injury and pressure from aggressive algorithms, while warning that overregulation could reduce the flexibility that attracts people to gig work in the first place. He believes gig workers shouldn’t be treated like traditional nine-to-five employees. Similarly, Lam supports the idea of preserving flexibility and warns against fully classifying gig workers as full-time employees, which could increase costs for platforms and limit workers’ freedom. Instead, he proposed adopting a third employment category, like the UK model, to offer partial protections without removing flexibility.
