The Chinese Communist Party has introduced a strategy called 'Data Finding People' to locate individuals who have not yet enrolled in social security and encourage them to participate. Social media platforms have become a key avenue for this initiative. (Provided by volunteers)
[People News] The Chinese Communist Party has suggested using methods like 'data-driven identification' to locate individuals who have not yet registered for social insurance and to encourage their participation in social security. Social media platforms have emerged as a tool for this 'data-driven identification.'
According to reports from Radio Free Asia, the Chinese Communist Party recently announced its intention to identify individuals who have not yet joined social security through methods like 'Data Finding People' and to mobilise them for enrollment. This announcement has triggered significant reactions on social media in recent days. Some netizens have shared videos urging authorities to cease their payment reminders, stating that they are still earning money on construction sites and are waiting for their employers to pay their wages. Additionally, some residents have informed our station that unemployment and unstable incomes make it challenging for them to continue paying insurance premiums.
Li Zhong, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, stated at a press conference on October 10 that the next steps will involve expanding enrollment through policy optimisation and initiatives like 'Data Finding People'. He noted that there are still individuals who have not enrolled, and various methods will be employed to locate and encourage them to join, with the goal of maintaining a basic pension insurance enrollment rate of over 95% during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
The 'Data Finding People' initiative has sparked controversy regarding the pressure to make payments.
The term 'data finds people' refers to the government's use of big data to identify individuals who have either not enrolled in or have interrupted their social insurance contributions, prompting them to register and pay. On the 14th, a group administrator shared an image that was circulating online in their WeChat Moments. The image was labelled 'WeChat Security Centre Reminder' and 'Group Risk Reminder,' claiming that some members of the group had not paid their social insurance. It urged the group owner and administrators to guide and supervise members to make their payments; otherwise, the platform reserves the right to restrict group functionalities and ban the group.
Mr Sun Yan, a resident of Jiaozhou, Shandong, informed our station that he had also heard that the social insurance bureau was searching for individuals who had not participated in social insurance. In reality, he himself has not contributed for many years: 'I have also stopped paying because I feel it is not worth it; the contribution amount is too high. The minimum wage for workers in our area is around 2,000 yuan, and social insurance costs over 1,000 yuan, which leaves us unable to afford even food. Many of my friends and classmates have also stopped paying, especially middle-aged individuals. It's difficult to find a job now; once you become unemployed, you can only stop paying your insurance because you have no money to pay, and that's the main issue.'
On overseas social media platforms, some netizens stated in a video: 'If you haven't paid social insurance, don't look for me, and don't pressure me. I'm working on the construction site to earn money for you. The boss said he would pay wages this month, and if he actually pays, I will definitely pay the social insurance for you.'
Another netizen humorously commented that while big data can accurately locate individuals who have not paid their social insurance, it seems to lack the same efficiency when addressing issues like missing persons and telecom fraud.
Screenshots of chats mention parents' requests for social insurance enrollment.
In a chat screenshot shared with our station by netizens, a teacher in a parent group urged parents without social security to enrol, warning that failure to do so could impact their children's high school and college entrance examinations. One netizen remarked, 'Guangzhou has already implemented this.' A group member replied, 'Is this implicating three generations?' Another commented, 'No unemployment unless necessary, no children unless necessary.'
The statements in the images connect the requirement for social security enrollment and payment with group management and the educational advancement of children. The two images do not indicate specific release times, and the content regarding the school's demand for parents to enrol in social security is a paraphrase from group members.
Liu Xi, a netizen from Tengzhou, Shandong, told reporters that the government's finances are currently in the negative, and local grassroots governments are seeking ways to 'find money' to cover the shortfalls. The push for social security payments is also aimed at addressing the funding pool's deficits: 'As far as I know, community committee staff have not received salaries for over ten months. I learned yesterday that the community committee in Jinan has not paid salaries for over six months. Even these grassroots Communist Party officials are unable to receive salaries; the economic situation is very challenging.'
Adjustment of Retirement Age and Minimum Contribution Years
On September 13, 2024, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China approved the 'Decision on Implementing Gradual Delayed Legal Retirement Age,' which will take effect on January 1, 2025. According to the relevant measures, the legal retirement age for men will gradually increase from 60 to 63 years; the original retirement ages for female workers of 50 and 55 years will gradually rise to 55 and 58 years, respectively.
Furthermore, beginning January 1, 2030, the minimum contribution period required for employees to receive the basic pension monthly will be gradually raised from 15 years to 20 years, with an increase of 6 months each year. This means that ordinary citizens in China will not only have to retire later but will also need to pay into pension insurance for a longer duration to qualify for monthly basic pension payments. △
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