# labour practices

From Badge to Bankbook: What JD’s First Courier Reveals About Labour, Welfare and Brand Strategy in China’s E‑commerce Boom

JD Logistics’ first courier, Jin Yicai, has retired with property, savings of over RMB1 million and a monthly pension of about RMB4,000, a profile JD has publicised to highlight its direct‑hire, welfare‑oriented logistics model. The story underscores JD’s strategy of higher labour costs in exchange for employee stability and brand advantage, contrasting with the outsourced, gig‑style labour common elsewhere in China’s parcel industry.