Under Chinese law, only 10% of a company’s employees are temporary workers. But Zhang says regulations are often not strictly enforced. He points out that companies can also get around this restriction by hiring workers grouped into different outsourcing schemes that function in much the same way, a strategy that Shein employs in job advertisements. It is shown that
A spokesperson for Shein confirmed to WIRED that the company “works with third-party vendors to staff the majority of warehouse operations,” but noted that a percentage of the workforce It was not made clear whether this would qualify as a dispatch. “Shayne’s operations align with industry standards and comply with local laws and regulations,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Many of Shein’s warehouse staff are classified as gig workers, which means they are not guaranteed a fixed hourly wage, similar to Uber drivers or food delivery workers. According to job listings and several videos reviewed by WIRED, workers are promised a monthly base salary, but total compensation is calculated based on productivity levels, and the system boils down to: It has been shown that the system is “the more work you do, the more you get paid.”
This structure gives workers the option to work harder to earn higher incomes. However, according to one of the videos, if Shein’s order volume decreases, their wages may also decrease, through no fault of their own. In a video posted in January on Xigua, a platform owned by ByteDance, a woman identified as a Shein worker complains that she is not making enough money because “there is not enough product.” are. She added that by this point in her life, she imagined having a more stable paycheck.
A spokesperson for Shein said: “Schein is committed to ensuring the fair and dignified treatment of all workers in our supply chain and has invested tens of millions of dollars in strengthening governance and compliance. “There is,” he said.
Shein told WIRED that, based on records from vendors, the company estimates junior warehouse staff earn around 7,000 RMB ($997) a month, while senior workers earn an average of 12,000 RMB ($1,709). ) That’s all. The current minimum monthly wage for a full-time employee in Guangzhou, a major Chinese city where many of Shein’s warehouses are located, is RMB 2,300, according to China Briefing, a website run by consulting firm Dezan Sheila & Associates. It is said to be yuan ($327). (This figure does not include overtime or other compensation).
We have previously covered Mr. Shayne’s use of temporary workers. In 2021, Chinese news outlet Sixth Tone reported that Shein “appears to rely heavily” on temporary staffing companies at its warehouses, which the article said was “linked to a number of labor issues.” did.
However, Shein once addressed this practice in its annual sustainability and social impact report, which details the company’s efforts to ensure its suppliers comply with local regulations and codes of conduct. is not mentioned either. In its most recent report, published in August, Shein hired third-party firms to audit 15 of its 21 distribution warehouses in China last year, and found that “all…showed good performance.” It was revealed that he did.
