Typical Cases of Infringement on Workers' Employment Rights

Recently, the Office of the Leading Group for Employment Promotion and Labor Protection of the State Council issued a notice deploying a special nationwide action to clean up and rectify the order of the human resources market. Local Human Resources and Social Security (HRSS) departments, in active collaboration with cyberspace administration, education, public security, and other departments, have implemented this action and compiled a batch of major typical cases investigated and handled since 2025. These cases involve "recruitment-turned-training" fraud, illegal online job intermediation, false recruitment, and employment discrimination.

These cases are now published to the public to inform job seekers and warn them against similar job-hunting "traps." If you encounter any infringement of your employment rights during your job search, please promptly report and file a complaint with your local HRSS department.

1. A Beijing Media Technology Co., Ltd. Committing "Recruitment-turned-Training" Contract Fraud In September 2025, a job seeker surnamed Gu received a call from a media technology company in Beijing inviting him for an interview for an Operations Assistant position. After Gu passed the interview, the company verbally promised a monthly salary of 8,000 RMB but did not sign a written labor contract. Subsequently, under the pretext that onboarding required practical training, the company induced Gu to sign a "New Media Operations Practical Training Consulting Service Agreement" and charged a training fee of 18,800 RMB. Because Gu could not afford it, the company induced him to take out an installment loan on a micro-lending platform, requiring a monthly repayment of 1,777 RMB. Unable to repay the loan, Gu posted online seeking help.

Upon monitoring the relevant public sentiment, the public security, HRSS, and market regulation departments of Chaoyang District, Beijing, immediately launched a joint response. They ordered the unit to stop relevant business on-site, canceled Gu's loan, and refunded the fees collected. Subsequently, the Beijing public security organs conducted a further in-depth investigation. By comprehensively comparing 110 police calls, 12345 hotline reports, and administrative complaint information, they tracked associated enterprises, personnel, accounts, and capital chains. They fully uncovered a criminal syndicate led by a suspect named Sun, which specialized in high-salary baiting, induced training, and loan fraud. Since 2023, the syndicate had used over a dozen shell companies to implement the "recruitment-turned-training" scam, using unified scripts such as "high salary, zero threshold" to deceive over 1,200 job seekers into participating in so-called onboarding training. They induced job seekers to take out micro-loans to pay training fees, with the total amount involved reaching over 19.5 million RMB. In January 2026, Beijing public security organs launched a centralized net-closing operation, arresting 13 suspects, including Sun. In addition, the Beijing HRSS department is taking administrative action (penalties) according to the law against the illegal acts involved in this case, such as publishing false recruitment information and engaging in occupational intermediation and vocational skills training without permission.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): The essence of "recruitment-turned-training" is a fraudulent criminal act carried out under the guise of recruitment and training. Lawbreakers cover up their illegal purposes with various legal forms, making it highly concealed, deceptive, and socially harmful. If job seekers encounter situations like "paying for training or buying courses before onboarding," they should be highly vigilant, immediately stop contacting the relevant units or individuals, and resolutely refuse to pay or take out loans to avoid financial loss. Simultaneously, they should save evidence such as chat records and written materials, and promptly report the matter to public security, HRSS, and other relevant departments.

2. A Hubei Network Co., Ltd. Engaging in Unlicensed Occupational Intermediation In April 2025, during a patrol, the HRSS department of Shiyan City, Hubei Province, found that a network company, without legally obtaining a human resources service license, had published corporate recruitment information for multiple positions—including general workers, technicians, clerks, salespersons, and chefs—through its WeChat official account "XX Convenience Circle" and other online platforms and cooperative channels. A total of 95 illegal recruitment ads were published. At the same time, under the name of publishing recruitment information, the company charged cooperative units advertising and information promotion fees ranging from 200 to 700 RMB, making an illegal profit of 14,000 RMB.

The Shiyan HRSS department quickly opened an investigation. The company claimed it only provided information platform services, deliberately blurring the business name and content to evade laws and regulations regarding commercial occupational intermediation activities. However, through on-site inspections and the retrieval of key evidence such as business licenses, financial account books, service agreements, and charge vouchers, the HRSS department proved the illegal fact that the company was engaging in human resources service activities without a license. Accordingly, the Shiyan HRSS department legally ordered the company to immediately stop all occupational intermediation services, delete all illegal recruitment information on the WeChat official account, confiscated all illegal gains of 14,000 RMB, and imposed a fine of 10,000 RMB.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): Laws and regulations such as the Employment Promotion Law and the Interim Regulations on the Human Resources Market clearly stipulate that those engaging in occupational intermediation activities must legally apply for administrative licensing from the HRSS administrative department; those providing online human resources services must also display their license information in a prominent position. Collecting recruitment information under the names of employment tutoring or information consulting is also suspected of constituting illegal occupational intermediation and is by no means a "shield" to evade supervision. When looking for jobs online, job seekers must carefully check whether the relevant platforms and institutions have obtained a human resources service license, and whether they display their license information and fee standards, to avoid falling prey to "black market" agencies.

3. A Jiangsu HR Company Publishing False Recruitment Information In 2025, an HR company in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, published "high-paying" recruitment information in the name of an electronics factory, attracting job seekers to inquire via WeChat. After job seekers went to the electronics factory to apply, they discovered the factory had no recruitment plans. The HR company then claimed the factory was full and rescheduled the interviews at a hotel. After registering personal information and collecting bedding and transportation fees on-site, they introduced the job seekers to another enterprise in a different city, where the salary and benefits were far inferior to what was stated in the recruitment ad. Subsequently, the job seekers were "passed around" by multiple HR companies and ultimately still failed to successfully secure a job.

After receiving complaints from the workers, the Suzhou HRSS department quickly opened an investigation and found that the electronics factory involved had not authorized any HR service company to publish recruitment information, confirming that the HR company itself had published the false ads. Accordingly, the Suzhou HRSS department legally ordered the HR company to correct its illegal act of publishing false recruitment information within a specified time limit, confiscated illegal gains of 12,000 RMB, and imposed a fine of 50,000 RMB. Meanwhile, the Suzhou HRSS department has legally transferred the company's suspected fraudulent behavior to the public security organs for investigation.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): Laws and regulations clearly stipulate that recruitment information published by human resources service institutions must be true and legal. They must not use fraud, violence, coercion, or other improper means, nor seek improper benefits under the guise of recruitment. This case clearly reveals the illegal nature of lawbreaking units publishing false recruitment information to commit fraud, warning HR service institutions that they must strictly adhere to the bottom line of integrity and verify the authenticity and legality of recruitment information. At the same time, job seekers are reminded to maintain high vigilance when faced with "low threshold, high salary" job postings, carefully screen the source of the information, and be on guard against situations requiring advance fee payments or frequent changes to interview locations.

4. A Jilin HR Co., Ltd. Fake "Guaranteed Employment" and "Direct Signing" Recruitment In July 2025, during a special inspection, the HRSS department of Songyuan City, Jilin Province, discovered that an HR company was publishing recruitment information such as "high salary guaranteed employment" and "direct signing with state-owned enterprises (SOEs)" through an online platform. After job seekers paid for consultations, they found out that the relevant SOEs had neither authorized the HR company to recruit nor set up the relevant job positions; the so-called "guaranteed employment" and "direct signing" were actually job-hunting fraud traps.

Upon receiving the complaints, the Songyuan HRSS department quickly investigated and found that the HR company had committed illegal acts such as publishing false recruitment information, engaging in occupational intermediation and vocational skills training without permission, and seeking improper benefits under the guise of recruitment, seriously infringing on job seekers' property and employment rights. In response, the Songyuan HRSS department legally ordered the company to correct its illegal behavior within a time limit, refund the collected fees, and stop engaging in occupational intermediation activities.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): In recent years, some lawbreakers have used names like "SOE internal referral" or "guaranteed direct signing" to publish false recruitment information via online platforms, short videos, and WeChat groups, explicitly or implicitly telling job seekers that "connections" or "giving money" will guarantee a job, thereby defrauding them of huge amounts of money. Job seekers should be highly vigilant against such recruitment information and discard any wishful thinking to avoid being scammed. At the same time, online platforms should fulfill their review responsibilities, strictly monitor resident institutions and recruitment information, and cut off the transmission chain of false recruitment ads.

5. A Jiangsu Enterprise Management Consulting Company Engaging in "Fake Outsourcing, Real Dispatching" In March 2025, during a special inspection, the HRSS department of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, discovered that an enterprise management consulting company was suspected of engaging in labor dispatch business without authorization and immediately intervened for an investigation. It was found that the company's business scope included enterprise management consulting but did not cover labor dispatch services. Since 2023, without obtaining a labor dispatch license, the company signed a cooperation agreement with a textile company under the guise of "business outsourcing." The textile company provided the factory buildings, machinery, and raw materials, was responsible for pre-employment training for new employees, and directly verified the results and quality of work. Furthermore, the on-site managers were former employees of the textile company, and the management processes and job contents were completely identical to when they worked at the textile company. The consulting company was only responsible for paying the wages and social security premiums for the so-called outsourced employees after receiving monthly payments from the textile company.

The Changzhou HRSS department determined that the consulting company had committed illegal acts by engaging in labor dispatch without permission and doing so under the guise of outsourcing. They took administrative action and imposed penalties according to the law, ordering the company to immediately stop its labor dispatch business and fining it 40,000 RMB for operating a labor dispatch business without authorization.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): The Labor Contract Law and relevant regulations clearly state that operating a labor dispatch business requires administrative licensing. When employers use laborers in the form of labor dispatch under the name of contracting or outsourcing, it shall be deemed as engaging in labor dispatch activities. For "fake outsourcing, real dispatching" behaviors, HRSS departments should strengthen penetrative supervision, ascertain the essence of the enterprise's direct employment management, and clarify the judgment rule of "whoever manages bears the responsibility." Workers are reminded to beware of illegal labor dispatch traps disguised as "labor outsourcing" and to keep evidence such as work badges, written contracts, emails, and chat records to promptly complain to the HRSS department.

6. A Shanghai HR Co., Ltd. Publishing Discriminatory Recruitment Information In March 2025, during a patrol, the Shanghai HRSS department found that an HR Co., Ltd. had published recruitment information via the internet and job boards that contained content such as "Quotas for XXX three provinces are full" and "Minority quotas are full." This restricted the employment of workers with specific household registrations (Hukou) or from ethnic minorities, infringing on workers' rights to equal employment. In response, the Shanghai HRSS department legally ordered the company to correct its illegal act of publishing discriminatory recruitment information within a time limit, delete the discriminatory content from the ads, and imposed an administrative fine of 5,000 RMB.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): A few occupational intermediation agencies implement illegal employment discrimination using excuses like "quotas for specific household registrations, specific regions, or specific ethnic minorities are full." They believe their methods are covert, but they are only deceiving themselves and will ultimately face severe legal punishment. This case sounds an alarm for employers and occupational intermediation agencies: published recruitment information must be true and legal, must not contain discriminatory content regarding ethnicity, race, gender, religious belief, etc., and must not set conditions restricting the flow of human resources based on household registration, region, or identity in violation of state regulations.

7. A Hebei Labor Dispatch Service Co., Ltd. Imposing "Unpaid Trial Work" In early 2025, the HRSS department of Chengde City, Hebei Province, received multiple complaints regarding a labor dispatch service company imposing "unpaid trial work," which is an illegal practice. Investigations revealed that the company exploited the psychology of job seekers eager for employment. Under the names of pre-employment training assessment and adaptive trial work, they illegally set a 3 to 7-day "unpaid trial" period. After the trial period ended, the enterprise would dismiss the workers on grounds such as "failing the assessment" or "not adapting to the post," and refused to pay remuneration for the trial period.

The Chengde HRSS department quickly intervened and found that the company had committed illegal acts such as publishing false recruitment information, having illegal rules and regulations, and delaying workers' wages without cause. They legally ordered the company to immediately stop the "trial work" behavior, pay off the wages owed to the workers, and correct its illegal internal rules and regulations within a specified time limit.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): "Unpaid trial work" is essentially an illegal act where employers, to seek illegal benefits, use false recruitment information to attract workers and use unreasonable rules or the failure to sign labor contracts to infringe upon workers' rights to fair employment and wage remuneration. This must be resolutely struck down and contained to prevent it from evolving into an unspoken industry rule. If workers encounter "unpaid trial work" during their job hunt, they should resolutely defend their rights, save all types of evidence materials, and complain to the HRSS department as soon as possible.

8. A Hunan Hotel Management Company Forcing Employees to Register as Self-Employed Individuals to Evade Employment Responsibilities In August 2025, during public sentiment monitoring, the Changsha Municipal HRSS Bureau in Hunan Province found that a hotel management company forced its employees to register as individual industrial and commercial households (self-employed individuals) to evade paying "Five Insurances and One Fund" (social security and housing fund), and immediately opened an investigation. It was found that the company required employees to register as self-employed individuals on a certain internet platform and sign a "three-party service agreement" with the company and the platform, with the platform settling labor remuneration on its behalf. While it appeared as though work tasks were dispatched through the internet platform and completed in the form of taking orders, the employees were actually still doing their original jobs at the company.

Upon review, a total of 1,402 workers signed three-party service agreements on the internet platform, the vast majority of whom were originally formal employees with labor contracts at the enterprise. This practice converted normal employment forms into civil cooperation relationships between the company and self-employed individuals, hiding the employment behavior and evading employment responsibilities, severely infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of the workers.

In response, the Changsha HRSS department ordered the enterprise to immediately correct its illegal employment practices and sign written labor contracts with the workers according to the law. Simultaneously, it issued a compliance operation recommendation letter to the relevant online platform, requiring it to stop implementing the irregular employment model. Currently, the enterprise and platform involved have fully rectified the situation.

警示提醒 (Warning & Reminder): Labor security laws and regulations, such as the Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law, clearly stipulate the statutory employment responsibilities of employers. Some employers package traditional jobs as flexible employment or platform employment, and some even require workers to register as self-employed individuals. In reality, this is done to evade the responsibilities of the employing entity and violates labor security laws and regulations. HRSS departments should strengthen penetrative law enforcement inspections, clarify the facts of direct employment management, and urge enterprises to comply with labor security laws. Employers must employ workers legally and compliantly and must not intentionally evade employment responsibilities. Meanwhile, workers are reminded that if they encounter such situations, they should keep evidence materials such as contracts/agreements, attendance and work records, payment vouchers, and chat records, and promptly complain to the HRSS department.