Less than a month after the introduction of the new Chinese labour law, Chinese businesses are offering recruitment agencies and employers classes on how to use loopholes in order to circumvent the new legislation, according to the Beijing Evening News.

The new labour law was introduced on 1 July 2013 with the result that it is now more difficult for employers to hire temporary employees (known locally as dispatch workers). The intention is to encourage employers to recruit full-time employees instead.

Advertised as ‘Labour Dispatch Compliance Management Seminars’, the classes advise attendees how to find legal loopholes in the new law and continue employing dispatch workers without incurring additional legal risk. The courses on offer average three to four days and can cost up to RMB 1,500 (USD 243). The courses guarantee that 100% of the risk is mitigated by the advice given during the training.

There has been concern in China that the increased costs of the new labour law will negatively impact trade at a time of rising unemployment and in the midst of a challenging economy. Dispatch work is currently one of the main forms of employment in China, with a recent survey reporting that as many as 68% of workers in Beijing are employed as dispatch workers.

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