00:0220-year-old Chi Yusen has been a food delivery driver in Beijing for the last year.
00:08It can be a brutal way to earn a living, driving at least 13 hours each day for about $45.
00:15Here, he says he's only had one day off in two months.
00:19But that's what it takes to survive in the world's largest gig economy.
00:24More than 320 million Chinese workers are expected to be in flexible employment by the end of this year,
00:31nearly half of the entire workforce.
00:34The explosion of the sector is a sign of China's struggling economy and tightening job market.
00:40The reason why a lot of workers go into the sector of food delivery is because they found,
00:48in my conversation with them, they found food delivery work is one of the best kind of job
00:56among the very limited choice that were offered to them.
01:00But with the massive influx of workers into the gig economy,
01:05competition to get orders and keep a good customer rating is fierce.
01:10And drivers we've spoken with are taking dangerous risks to keep their jobs.
01:15The ABC travelled with Yusen as he made his daily deliveries,
01:19racing to meet deadlines as fast as 20 minutes, or he'd be penalised.
01:25Here, he says,
01:26sometimes I get anxious and I'll run red lights, speed or go against the traffic.
01:32And with China's youth unemployment rate nearing 20%,
01:35this is a job he can't afford to lose.
01:45The ABC's Enough of the Small Business Amendment
01:45And the story I found,
01:45The ABC's Note to have that have been completed.
01:45the ABC's Note to get later.
