Dec. 17 (Asia Today) -- China's vast number of "flexible workers," including gig and short-term laborers, could become a major risk for the country's economy despite signs of resilience this year, according to reports cited by a Beijing-based correspondent.
Asia Today's Beijing correspondent Hong Soon-do wrote that China's economy has held up better than expected despite the tariff and trade conflict with the United States, which is currently in a truce.
Citing Chinese media reports including The Beijing News, Hong said China's trade surplus this year is expected to exceed $1 trillion and that economic growth is likely to meet a target of about 5%.
However, he said it is too early to be overly optimistic because headwinds persist, including deflation, elevated unemployment among young people ages 16 to 24 who are not enrolled in school, and a rapid appreciation of the yuan.
Hong said the scale of flexible labor is a particular concern. He wrote that more than 200 million people nationwide work in arrangements such as freelancing, food delivery, courier services and ride-sharing, often without stable employment.
