Find work in China
People's Republic of China — 1.41 billion people, Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY), Mandarin Chinese. Full employment compliance handled for you, paid every Friday.
Capital
Beijing
Population
1.41 billion
GDP / capita
$12,720
Currency
CNY
Chinese Yuan Renminbi
Time zone
UTC+8 (CST)
Working in China: what to expect
Key employment law provisions that affect your engagement. Corpshore handles compliance so you don't have to navigate this alone — but knowing your rights matters.
Standard workweek
44h max
40 hours (8 hours/day, 5 days). 996 culture (9am-9pm, 6 days) exists but was ruled illegal in 2021.
Annual leave
11 public holidays
5-15 days depending on tenure (5 days for 1-10 years; 10 days for 10-20 years; 15 days for 20+ years)
Maternity leave
98 days minimum (national). Provincial policies extend to 128-190 days.
Paternity leave
15-30 days depending on province
Notice period
30 days (both parties for standard termination). Immediate termination for cause.
Severance
1 month salary per year of service (N+1 formula for no-fault termination). Capped at 3x local average salary.
Overtime rules
150% (weekday), 200% (rest day), 300% (public holiday). Maximum 36 overtime hours per month.
Probation period
1-6 months depending on contract duration
Tax landscape in China
Indicative tax ranges for general orientation. Always consult a qualified tax advisor for your specific situation. Tax year: Calendar year.
- Income tax
- 3% to 45% (progressive)
- Corporate tax
- 25% (15% for qualified high-tech enterprises)
- Social contributions
- Five insurances + housing fund: employer ~30-40% (varies by city), employee ~10-11%.
- VAT / GST
- 13% (standard); 9% (transport, construction); 6% (services)
Treaty network
Over 110 tax treaties
Your fee is always zero
Corpshore charges the hiring business, never you. You receive 100% of the agreed rate, regardless of tax jurisdiction.
How you get paid in China
CNAPS (China National Advanced Payment System) handles interbank transfers. Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate consumer payments (~$40T annually). Cross-border CNY settlement growing but capital controls apply.
Bank transfer (CNAPS)
Alipay
WeChat Pay
Settlement
Every Friday
No net-30 waits, no chasing invoices
Platform fee
Zero, forever
The business pays Corpshore, never you
Currency
CNY
Local currency where supported
Regulatory landscape in China
Corpshore manages compliance so you can focus on the work. Here's what shapes the regulatory environment for workers in China.
Worker classification
Labour Contract Law (2008) creates strong protections. Fixed-term contracts convert to open-ended after 2 renewals or 10 years. Individual service agreements for genuine contractors.
Data protection
Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL, 2021) — China's GDPR equivalent. Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) enforces. Data localisation requirements for critical information infrastructure operators. Cross-border transfer restrictions.
Right to work
Work permit (Type A/B/C) and residence permit required. Type A for high-end foreign talent. Employer must demonstrate need.
Non-compete enforceability
Enforceable under Labour Contract Law Article 23-24. Must be compensated (minimum 30% of salary). Maximum 2 years. Limited to senior management, senior technicians, and those with confidentiality obligations.
Collective bargaining
ACFTU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions) is the sole legal union. Collective contracts negotiated at enterprise level. Strike activity is technically unregulated (neither legal nor illegal).
Working culture in China
Business culture
Relationship-driven (guanxi). Hierarchy matters. Business meals (banquets) are important for relationship-building. Face (mianzi) is a key cultural concept. WeChat is the primary business communication tool.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
China's tech industry grew from effectively zero in the 1990s to rivalling Silicon Valley by 2020. The Great Firewall created a protected market that allowed Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT) to grow without US competition. China now leads in mobile payments (Alipay and WeChat Pay process more than Visa and Mastercard combined), electric vehicles, and 5G deployment. The 2020-2022 regulatory reset (antitrust, PIPL, education crackdown) marked a new phase of state-guided technology development.
At a glance
- Official name
- People's Republic of China
- Languages
- Mandarin Chinese
- Time zones
- UTC+8 (CST)
- Data region
- Asia-Pacific
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