In China, there is a new job: people who bring meals to the top floors of skyscrapers. A job that doesn’t pay much, but offers a nice extra income for many retirees and young people.
In China, cities are growing taller and taller, resulting in many high skyscrapers. However, this also means that entirely new jobs are being created. Because even the people who live and work on the highest floors would like to have a hot meal.
The English-speaking New York Times describes the daily life of an informal group of “last-mile” runners in the skyscrapers of Shenzhen, China, who are responsible for the last stage of food delivery when the wait times at elevators are too long for official delivery drivers.
Delivery workers bring food from the driver up to the top floors
What kind of delivery workers are these? At tall skyscrapers, young people or retirees often wait and offer themselves as “delivery stand-ins.” They take the order from the delivery driver, receive about 2 Yuan (approximately 24 cents) for it, and bring the food through the often crowded elevators to the customer.
This is a voluntary offer from individuals who want to earn a little extra, and there are no formal employment contracts or anything similar. The income remains modest: According to the New York Times, the daily earnings are about 100 Yuan. That is roughly 12 Euros.
For comparison: The minimum wage has been set at about 22 Yuan/hour for Shanghai and 24 Yuan/hour for Beijing (via IHK.de).
Overall, the situation is chaotic: There are enough orders for everyone, and most drivers reported that they are not picky about whom they pass their orders on to. On the ground, it looks like a beehive.
Government bans child labor
Things got complicated when a new group of “workers” entered the skyscrapers: children, some of whom were still in elementary school. Their parents had brought them along to give them an impression of hard work during the summer holidays.
Videos on social media showed dozens of children surrounding the delivery workers and loudly asking for orders. Shortly after the videos appeared, the local government banned children from delivering orders due to safety concerns. In China, work is only allowed from the age of 16.
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