Working class and the reserve army in China: From semi-proletariat to neoliberal precarisation

This article analyzes, theoretically and empirically, the major transformations of the Chinese working class over the last 45 years. Our argument is that labor precarization in China has transitioned from a distinctive form, namely semi-proletarianization, to a neoliberal form characterized by intensified labor exploitation in the service sector, widespread urban informality, and the rapid expansion of platform-based employment. Despite rising wages in China over the past 15 years, a new form of labor precarization has emerged. Consistent with global patterns of neoliberal labor precarization, the relationship between the active worker and the industrial reserve army is highly fluid and hybrid within China.