Category Archives: Media Interviews

Hiring short-term workers to cut costs hurts their prospects and ability to learn new skills William LangleyPublished NOV 20 2025 … Jenny Chan, a sociologist at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, says that some factories can employ as many as 70 per cent of their workers on a temporary basis during peak seasons, although anContinue reading “Chinese Manufacturers’ Shift to Flexibility Leaves Gig Labourers Exposed (20 Nov 2025, William Langley)”

by Patrick Body China’s employment transition: Adapting to a new phase of growth September 28, 2025 As China’s economy evolves, employment patterns are changing—creating both challenges and new opportunities “Each year, the top two career choices have increasingly become either civil service jobs or working at an SOE,” says Jenny Chan, Associate Professor of SociologyContinue reading “China’s Employment Transition: Adapting to a New Phase of Growth (CKGSB Knowledge, 28 Sep 2025)”

China is learning to accept alternative modes of work Digital nomads have set up communes across China to opt out of the rat race. Faced with a youth unemployment crisis, Beijing is now backing alternative ways of working. September 22, 2025 By Christian Shepherd and  Rudy Lu “The government is very concerned that unemployment couldContinue reading “China is learning to accept alternative modes of work – Jenny Chan interviewed by the Washington Post (22 Sep 2025)”

Jenny Chan interviewed by Rachel Cheung for The Wire China, in “China’s Aging Migrant Workforce,” 1 Jun 2025. The Big Picture Some 300 million Chinese workers are facing a more precarious future amid the country’s economic transition. In 2008, when the Chinese government began to compile official statistics on the country’s army of migrant workers,Continue reading “China’s Aging Migrant Workforce (by Rachel Cheung, The Wire China, 1 Jun 2025)”

William Langley The Financial Times 11 March 2025 … And while the moves were likely to be partially motivated by calls to protect workers, there also appeared to be an element of competition, with major platforms reluctant to lose drivers — and market share — to rivals. “It would be great if JD.com is reallyContinue reading “China’s Delivery Platforms Compete to Offer Better Worker Benefits (William Langley, FT, 11 Mar 2025)”

Building India’s ‘iPhone city’: Lessons from Zhengzhou’s transformation By Dia Rekhi Nov 17, 2024 The Economic Times Jenny Chan, associate professor of sociology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University said Chinese local governments were instrumental in luring the likes of Foxconn to build these sprawling facilities. “They not only offered land at very subsidised ratesContinue reading “Interviewed by Dia Rekhi for The Economic Times, in “Building India’s ‘iPhone City’: Lessons from Zhengzhou’s Transformation,” 17 Nov 2024”

Interviewed by Chris Lau, Marc Stewart and Martha Zhou for CNN, in “‘Really Squeezed’: Why Drivers in the World’s Largest Food Delivery Market are Having Meltdowns,” Oct 18, 2024. “They are working long hours, really being squeezed,” said Jenny Chan, associate sociology professor at Polytechnic University of Hong Kong. “[And] they will continue to faceContinue reading “‘Really squeezed’: Chinese food delivery riders (CNN) 18 Oct 2024”

In China over the past few years, a stagnating economy and a cutthroat job market have given rise to an entirely new lexicon to talk about modern-day burnout. “The competition is just overwhelming,” said Jenny Chan, associate professor of sociology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, adding that economic anxiety among her students is growing. “Even with theContinue reading “China’s youth retreat centers (LA Times, 12 Sep 2024)”

“Finding a decent job in big techs is a dream shared by young aspirants from elite universities,” Jenny Chan, an associate professor of sociology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, told BI. But succeeding in China’s tough tech industry requires full devotion of time and effort, which blurs the boundaries between work and home, sheContinue reading “Jenny Chan interviewed for Business Insider, “Chinese Millennials and Gen Zers Have Had Enough of Work, So They’re Embracing ‘Naked Resignations’” (6 July 2024)”