Do you intend to employ people in China?
You have a variety of employment alternatives, including hiring full-time staff, part-time staff, or independent contractors.
For foreign businesses, it’s crucial to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.
Here, we’ll examine each type and identify which is ideal based on your needs as a business so that you may select the finest choice.
Full-time employment in China
An employee who works a full-time schedule has a predetermined number of hours determined by the company.
Common benefits of full-time employment include annual leave, sick leave, and health insurance. These benefits are not frequently offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers.
These are often the primary distinctions between independent contractors and part-timers, as well as the number of hours performed each week—40 hours for full-timers.
Employers in China are required to offer a written contract that includes requirements like:
- Employee and employer information
- Remuneration
- Responsibilities
- Working hours and leaves
- Duration of employment
- Social insurance
- Work-related safety
Benefits of hiring full-time employees in China
The amount of hours worked makes the biggest distinction between full-time and part-time employment. This can assist businesses in having better control over the performance of their staff members and the utilization of training programs to enhance procedures.
What are the other benefits of hiring full-time employees?
One of the main advantages is the increased level of employee engagement. Full-time employees spend most of their time at work, and they are aware that their efforts should be focused on assisting the business in achieving its goals. As a result, they will provide the tasks given their whole attention.
Possibilities for career progression Employers view full-time workers as long-term investments, and they are more likely to be promoted than part-timers. Companies are more ready to spend time and money training employees and allowing them to advance in their professions if they are more likely to stay on the job for a longer period.
Increased participation in the team Regular full-time employees usually takes pride in their status within your business. They take pleasure in being a part of a team and working in a setting where they feel safe and secure in their jobs.
While hiring full-time employees is more expensive initially, it is known to save money over time. More productive employees are happier employees. A staff that receives rewards for contributing to the success of the business is more likely to succeed.
Disadvantages of hiring full-time employees
However, benefits can have disadvantages. Businesses must take into account factors that are required by law and that they must control to be compliant.
- Benefits – Full-time employees anticipate receiving different treatment from independent contractors or part-time workers. They anticipate receiving annual leave, maternity and paternity leaves, as well as some other benefits. This increases the company’s expenses.
- You have greater obligations – As an employer, you must remember that the employment contract is mandated by Chinese law, and you must uphold its terms.
- Training – If you want to implement a training program to improve the abilities of your staff, you must take into account prices as well as the fact that you will be liable for every license you purchase or coach you employ.
Part-time employment in China
In China, part-time job regulations are not as developed as full-time employment regulations.
This was not covered by labor legislation until a few years ago.
In contrast to full-time employees, part-time workers are not required to sign a written contract. Yet, this does not mean that recruiting and keeping a part-time employee is any simpler than doing the same for a full-time employee.
We strongly advise having a contract with your part-time employees so that there are clear expectations and guidelines that they must go by as well as protection in the event of a labor dispute.
The Labor Contract Law in China stipulates that a part-time worker may not work more than four hours per day and 24 hours per week.
If the part-time worker puts in more time than this, you run the risk of “converting” them to full-time workers, with all the associated legal obligations.
Part-time employees are not eligible for the probationary period, and payments should be made every 15 days.
Both the employer and the employee are not required to provide advance notice in the event of termination.
Benefits of hiring part-time employees in China
- Cost savings – Of course, for small businesses, cost savings on salaries and benefits are a major advantage. You might not always be compelled to provide the same level of benefits as a full-time employee is mandated by law.
- Avoid unemployment claims – Hire temporary workers with claims that are only valid for the duration of their job to avoid filing unemployment claims.
- Employ only for specific work – To avoid greater expenditures, it is preferable to engage a specialized part-time employee if you only require assistance for a brief period or to perform a specific task.
- Simpler termination process – A labor contract may be terminated at any time, with or without justification, under Chinese law, by any side. In addition, part-time workers who are let go are not required to receive severance money from their employers.
Disadvantages of hiring part-time employees
- Reduced participation – Because an employee may be more committed to another position than to yours, your company will never come first. These people might leave your business if a full-time position opens up.
- Lack of control – Compared to full-time employees, part-time workers provide the organization with less control over their workloads and output. Also, there is always a chance that part-time workers would simultaneously work for other companies.
- Not in charge of full-time workers – Permanent employees can mistake temporary workers for temps and view them as a threat. The rest of the team is unlikely to hold temporary employees in high regard.
Independent contractors in China
Compared to other European or American nations, China has a very distinct independent contractor law.
Employing independent contractors has become very popular among businesses in these nations, yet doing so is illegal in China.
Due to the strong desire for an employment structure that stresses the security of the workers through elements like social insurance and other statutory privileges that the law mandates, independent contractors are not frequently recognized under Chinese law.
In a nutshell, an independent contractor is a person who gives his or her skills to businesses under conditions laid out in a contract.
Benefits of hiring independent contractors in China
- Cost per employee savings – One of the main arguments in favor of hiring independent contractors versus full-time workers is the cost savings based on the nature of the employment relationship.
- Flexibility – Hiring and terminating staff is made easier for employers when using independent contractors, which is especially advantageous for organizations with fluctuating workloads. You can hire a contractor to work on a certain task or project and be assured that they’ll go once the job is finished.
- No training expenses – Because you are sourcing your independent contractors from a pool of many individuals, you will select the person with the skill set you specifically need for the sort of job. Because of their specialization, contractors frequently don’t need any formal training to perform their jobs.
- Fewer issues with labor disputes – As contractors only have jobs that are tied to a single task, they often pose fewer issues with labor conflicts than full-time employees do. They also do not receive the same perks.
Disadvantages of hiring independent contractors
- Limited control – Just like with part-time workers, you have less control over the caliber and efficacy of their labor.
- Fluctuating availability – The availability of independent contractors on the market is influenced by a variety of circumstances. There are times when you’ll quickly find a contractor who satisfies all of your needs and is prepared to start working. At times, you can find yourself looking for longer if the demand for a particular service increases in a particular place or at a particular time of the year.
Independent contractor hiring is unlawful in China if you don’t have a legal business, which is their major drawback.
It takes a lot of paperwork to make it legal, and businesses must set up a corporation specifically to hire independent contractors. If they want to hire incognito, however, the hiring is illegal.
These procedures come at a high cost to businesses and are frequently not the greatest choice, especially if you want to engage contractors to cut costs.
Employing a PEO is the option that more and more businesses are turning to. Chinese law permits a PEO like us to hire workers for your business who will be officially employed by the PEO but exclusively provide services for your business.
In this method, foreign businesses can hire staff members without having to establish a local business, saving money on payroll and human resources expenses.
What is the best option for foreign companies in China?
Foreign businesses will eventually have to think about hiring personnel in China.
The best solution is usually not available, but as a business, you should think about where you are in the process and the advantages and disadvantages of the various options.
To have more flexibility, lower expenses, and fewer issues in the event of a labor dispute, it would likely be better for a startup to hire part-time workers or independent contractors.
A full-time contract is a good option, however, if you are in a later stage, if you want to effectively establish a presence in China before establishing a company there, or if you want to test the market because it enables you to have employees who are invested in your business and are more motivated to perform well.
The most crucial thing to keep in mind is that employing people illegally can harm your company’s reputation with the Chinese government, which will undoubtedly hinder any future expansion plans in China. It can also cost you more money to manage all the legal issues that may arise in China.
China Payroll can assist you with all of your HR and payroll needs and help you hire staff in China with or without a local business.
To learn more about how we can help with your HR issues in China, feel free to contact us.
