A Brief Introduction to Chinese Employment Law

The current employment law in China is mainly regulated by the PRC Employment Law (PEL) which took effect on 1st January 1995. Local governments make regulations based on their different area's local policies. However, all regulations are guided by the PEL and will be regarded as void if they are conflict with PEL. The PEL has thirteen chapters which cover almost all aspects of employment relationships, such as working hours, holidays, salary, health and safety, training, social insurance and welfare, disputes and discrimination on grounds of race, sex, disability, age.

What follows is a brief summary of the main provisions of the PEL. For a detailed summary, please see