China Inbound Legal Guides · Employment & Labour

Employment & Labour

China employment is a lifecycle with written-contract, social-insurance and termination clocks. Start with the stage, not a generic HR policy.

Find employment counsel All practice guides

Hire, run, change, or exit — which employment clock is running? Open the matching topic route or counsel — this hub does not decide the legal outcome on your facts.

China employment route covering hiring, contracts, pay, workplace issues and termination.

LifecycleHire → operate → change → separate

UpdatedAugust 2026

AudienceEmployers, employees, HR teams and foreign-invested companies

Deadline-sensitive employment action

A notice, arbitration, social-insurance or termination clock can change what should happen next. Do not treat this as a safety route.

Open termination clocks

Signature · Employment lifecycle & deadline rail

Hire, manage, change, or exit the China employment file.

start → operate → change → exit

Start with the situation

Hire, run, change, or exit — which employment clock is running?

Each topic owns one bounded decision, then connects to deeper guides, local context or counsel. This hub does not duplicate long-form analysis.

Contracts

Employment contracts

Formation, mandatory terms, fixed terms, probation and amendments.

First jobIdentify the relationship and contract status before assessing rights or obligations.

Open topic route

Hiring

Hiring & onboarding

Offer terms, onboarding, registrations and initial compliance steps.

First jobMap the hiring sequence and required documents before the start date.

Open topic route

Pay

Working time & pay

Hours, overtime, salary, leave and recurring payroll obligations.

First jobIdentify the applicable working-time and compensation arrangement.

Open topic route

04Priority screen

Termination

Termination & redundancy

Grounds, process, notice, severance, documentation and deadlines.

First jobIdentify the proposed ground and procedural timeline before action.

Open topic route

Disputes

Workplace disputes

Grievances, investigations, evidence, mediation and labour dispute routes.

First jobPreserve facts and identify the dispute stage and available route.

Open topic route

Restrictions

Restrictive covenants & confidentiality

Confidentiality, non-compete arrangements, compensation and enforcement context.

First jobCheck the clause, role, duration, compensation and enforcement posture.

Open topic route

Common entry points

Already know what is happening?

01We are hiring in ChinaStart with onboarding, contract and employer obligations.02We may terminate an employeeStart with grounds, process, timing and evidence.03There is an employment disputeStart with evidence and dispute stage.

Quick answers

Narrow questions this practice actually gets.

Not a second copy of this hub. Each card is one Wiki explainer.

Quick AnswerChina Labor: SPC Interpretation II (2025) Employer Control LedgerUpdate co-employment, fixed-term, double-wage, non-compete, foreign-national, and reinstatement playbooks against the official Chinese text.Quick AnswerChina Labor Unions: ACFTU Model, 2% Levy & Handbook ConsultationMap enterprise vs higher-level union contacts; fund lawfully when established; run Art. 4 process for handbooks.Quick AnswerWhat happens if a written employment contract is late in China?A focused guide to the written-contract clock, double salary exposure and open-ended conversion.Quick AnswerChina Labor: Arbitration-First Dispute Readiness PackInventory contracts, payroll, attendance, messages, policy issuance proof, and service records before the first filing.Quick AnswerChina Labor: Foreign Workers � Contract, Work Permit & SI AlignmentAlign title, city, employer entity and permits before start; re-screen on every material change.Quick AnswerChina Labor: Termination Routes, Art. 43 Union Notice & SeveranceArt. 43 advance union notice + proof of service often decide �procedural lawfulness� even when the ground looks strong.

Curated resources

Go deeper without losing the route.

Long-form analysis lives on canonical guides. This hub only points.

core guide

China employment and labour law

National workforce framework covering contracts, unions, termination routes and arbitration readiness.

checklist

Prepare an employment enquiry

Organise high-level, non-confidential workforce facts before counsel or Ask a Lawyer.

deep guide

Visa and immigration for China work

Keep work authorisation, entry and residence as connected but separate controls from the labour contract.

insight

Overtime salary calculation under China employment law

Rates, records and employee rights when hours and pay are in dispute.

insight

Wrongful termination for foreign employees

Grounds, evidence and arbitration posture when a separation is already in issue.

city guide

Beijing employment and labour lawyers

Move from the national framework to a city implementation and counsel layer when location is material.

Local context

Add the city only when it changes implementation.

Social insurance, labour-bureau practice and arbitration forums vary by city after the national framework is clear.

Open city and province guides

Counsel hand-off

Need employment counsel?

This hub organises workforce questions. It does not decide status, grounds, severance or a dispute outcome on your facts.

Find employment counsel

Request a free consultation