Chinese officials recently proposed using methods such as "data-driven identification" to find those who have not yet participated in social security and encourage them to enroll, sparking strong reactions on social media in recent days. Some netizens posted videos demanding that relevant departments stop pressuring them to pay, claiming they are still earning money on construction sites and waiting for their wages. Other residents told this station that unemployment and unstable income make it difficult for them to continue paying premiums.
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Li Zhong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on October 10 that the next step will be to expand participation in the basic old-age insurance program through policy optimization and "data-driven enrollment." He mentioned that there are still some people who have not yet enrolled, and efforts will be made to find them through various means and encourage them to participate, striving to maintain the basic old-age insurance participation rate at over 95% during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Data-driven search for individuals sparks controversy over payment pressure.
The so-called "data-driven approach" refers to the official use of big data to identify individuals who have not participated in social security or whose social security contributions have been interrupted, and to urge them to participate and pay their contributions. On the 14th, a group administrator forwarded an image circulating online on WeChat Moments. The image, labeled "WeChat Security Center Reminder" and "Group Risk Reminder," claimed that some members in the group had not paid their social security contributions and demanded that the group administrator and administrators guide and supervise group members to pay their contributions; otherwise, the platform had the right to restrict group functions and ban the group.
Mr. Sun Yan, a resident of Jiaozhou, Shandong, told our station that he had also heard that the social security bureau was looking for people who had not participated in social security. In fact, he himself had stopped paying social security for many years: "I myself also stopped paying because I felt it wasn't worth it, the amount I had to pay was too high. The minimum wage for employees in our area is about 2,000 yuan a month, and the social security contribution is more than 1,000 yuan, which is not enough to even afford food. So many of my friends and classmates have also stopped paying, especially middle-aged people. It's hard to find a job now, and if you become unemployed, you can only stop paying social security, and you don't have the money to pay, that's the key point."
On an overseas social media account, a netizen said in a video: "Don't look for me or urge me if I haven't paid social security. I'm making money for you on the construction site. The boss said he'll pay wages this month. If he actually pays the money, I will definitely pay your social security."
Other netizens joked in the comments section that big data can accurately find people who have not paid social security, but it does not seem to be as efficient in dealing with issues such as missing persons and telecom fraud.
The chat screenshot mentioned the requirements for parents to enroll in insurance.
In a chat screenshot provided to this station by a netizen, a teacher in a parent group demanded that parents without social security enroll in the program, otherwise it would affect their children's middle school and college entrance exams. One netizen wrote, "This is already being done in Guangzhou." Someone in the group responded, "Is this punishing three generations?" Another commented, "Don't lose your job unless absolutely necessary, don't have children unless absolutely necessary."
The statements in the images link enrollment and payment to chat group management and children's school admissions. Neither image shows a specific posting time, and the content regarding the school requiring parents to enroll is a relayed statement from a group member.
Liu Xi, a netizen from Tengzhou, Shandong, told reporters that the government's finances are now in a negative balance, and local governments are trying to find money to fill the gaps. The requirement to pay social security contributions is also to fill the gap in the fund pool: "As far as I know, the people in the neighborhood committees have not been paid for more than ten months. I received news yesterday that the neighborhood committees in Jinan have not been paid for more than half a year. Even these grassroots cadres of the Communist Party cannot be paid. The economy is very difficult."
Adjustment of retirement age and minimum contribution period
On September 13, 2024, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China passed the "Decision on Implementing a Gradual Delay of the Statutory Retirement Age," which will take effect on January 1, 2025. According to the relevant measures, the statutory retirement age for men will be gradually extended from 60 to 63; the original statutory retirement ages for female employees were 50 and 55, respectively, and will be gradually extended to 55 and 58.
Furthermore, starting January 1, 2030, the minimum contribution period for employees to receive monthly basic pension benefits will gradually increase from 15 years to 20 years, with an increase of 6 months each year. This means that ordinary Chinese citizens will not only have to retire later, but also need to accumulate a longer period of pension insurance contributions in order to receive monthly basic pension benefits.