Allowing the platform economy to carry more people's livelihood temperature is not a multiple-choice question of "whether or not", but a necessary answer of "doing well". In recent years, driven by both market and regulatory forces, platforms have found a pragmatic path. I also look forward to more explorations in the future. Subsidizing pension insurance for millions of riders? This plan, which sounds important but also expensive, is becoming a reality. Starting from November, Meituan will provide pension insurance subsidies to riders nationwide. As long as the rider's income on the platform reaches the local social security payment base in three out of the past six months, they can purchase pension insurance independently, and the platform will subsidize half of the cost. Taking Beijing as an example, the minimum payment base for social security is 7162 yuan, the monthly payment for pension insurance is 1432.4 yuan, the platform subsidy is 716.2 yuan, and the rider pays 716.2 yuan themselves. With the assistance of the platform, the rider will pay social security at the end of the month, and the subsidy will be automatically credited as early as the first week of next month, without the need to submit application materials. This is not a solo performance by the Meituan family. Since the beginning of this year, JD.com has paid social security for full-time riders, and Ele.me has piloted it in multiple places. However, Meituan's first launch of the "national version" of rider social security is a landmark step. Why is it so important to provide social security for riders? Most riders come from rural areas and have access to the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, so there is not much problem with seeking medical treatment. But if they don't have pension insurance all the time, and they have good health and can earn money when they are young, but when they get old and can't work anymore, they will have pension problems. Our country has a relatively sound bottom line rescue system, but this system cannot accommodate such a massive "bottom line". So, provide them with pension insurance to give them more security in their later years. It's easier said than done. Paying social security for riders is far more complicated than imagined. You may not expect that on the Meituan platform alone, there are over 7 million riders with a record of receiving orders. Among them, only about 10% are full-time riders who run all year round, and nearly half of them run less than 30 days a year. Many people regard food delivery as a "transitional station". Today they are at Meituan, tomorrow they run to Ele.me, and at night they may even receive a flash delivery. Moreover, over 80% of the riders are migrant workers, and it is common for them to move to another place after running for a few months. This brings a series of questions: on which platform should their social security be paid? Do you want to return to your hometown or at work? If I don't work in this city, how can I transfer it when I go back to my hometown? What is even more challenging than institutional barriers is the rider's practical choice. Many riders feel that social security in a few decades is not very meaningful, and they prefer to earn more money now. When the rent and children's tuition fees are waiting for money in front of us, the future retirement does seem distant. For enterprises, this is also an astronomical account. Even if it's just subsidies, spending billions of yuan annually is not a small amount. If that's the case, why should the platform continue to push forward? On the one hand, this is the result of market competition. This year's' food delivery war 'has begun, and transportation capacity has become a more crucial bargaining chip than subsidies. During peak dining hours, the experience of "half an hour delivery" and "two hours no one taking orders" is vastly different. Social security subsidies have become a stabilizer to retain riders and lock in transportation capacity. On the other hand, this stems from the guidance of national policies and the continuous promotion of regulation. In recent years, departments such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State Administration for Market Regulation have continued to promote the protection of the rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment. Supporting policies have also been introduced in various regions, providing a clear institutional framework for platform enterprises to explore social security paths. Improving the participation rate of flexible employment personnel, migrant workers, and new forms of employment remains an important task during the 15th Five Year Plan period. Under the dual promotion of the market and regulation, the platform has found a pragmatic path. For example, Meituan's plan is "riders voluntarily contribute, and the platform pays half". From the pilot situation, this design not only respects the willingness of riders, but also lowers the threshold for insurance participation. The psychological effect of "missing subsidies and losing money" has also leveraged the willingness of riders to participate in insurance. Allowing the platform economy to carry more people's livelihood temperature is not a multiple-choice question of "whether or not", but a necessary answer of "doing well". When the wheels of economic development roll forward, supporting those who silently push the wheels is not only about fairness and justice, but also about sustainable development. The implementation of the national version of rider social security is just the beginning, and we look forward to more platforms joining this warm action. (New Society)