From Transitional Labor to Excessive Labor: A Study on the Labor Dilemma of Delivery Riders in the Food Delivery War

Kuo Tian; Mengyao Wang; Yutong Zhang

doi:10.2991/978-94-6239-719-4_33

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From Transitional Labor to Excessive Labor: A Study on the Labor Dilemma of Delivery Riders in the Food Delivery War

Authors

Kuo Tian¹^{, *}, Mengyao Wang¹, Yutong Zhang²

¹School of Marxism, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 611130, China

²School of Mathematics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 611130, China

^*Corresponding author. Email: 1299386122@qq.com

Corresponding Author

Kuo Tian

Available Online 9 July 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-719-4_33 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: platform economy; Overwork; Takeout wars; Political economy
Abstract: In the context of food delivery war, algorithm control and platform competition lead to excessive labor with high intensity and low autonomy for riders. Based on 484 questionnaires and in-depth interviews, qualitative, statistical and machine learning methods were used comprehensively. The results show that 66.1% of the riders have severe/extreme overwork, and the pressure of the riders in the special delivery and core urban areas is greater. Platform competition prolongs working hours by decreasing unit price (mediating effect 43.1%); The algorithm control aggravated excessive labor through two paths: the intensification of fines (38.5%) and the decrease of autonomy (21.7%). It is necessary to strengthen labor protection, standardize platform competition, clarify algorithm supervision, pay attention to the differentiated needs of riders with different employment modes, and build harmonious labor relations.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the 2026 6th International Conference on Enterprise Management and Economic Development (ICEMED 2026)
Series: Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date: 9 July 2026
ISBN: 978-94-6239-719-4
ISSN: 2352-5428
DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-719-4_33 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Kuo Tian
AU  - Mengyao Wang
AU  - Yutong Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/09
TI  - From Transitional Labor to Excessive Labor: A Study on the Labor Dilemma of Delivery Riders in the Food Delivery War
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 6th International Conference on Enterprise Management and Economic Development (ICEMED 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 286
EP  - 292
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-719-4_33
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-719-4_33
ID  - Tian2026
ER  -

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