Labor Contract Law of the People's Republic of China (2012 Revision)

要点解读 Key Points

中文导读

《中华人民共和国劳动合同法》2008年1月1日起施行，2012年经全国人大常委会修正（主席令第73号），修正内容自2013年7月1日起施行。本法共八章九十八条，规范劳动合同的订立、履行、变更、解除与终止，并对劳务派遣、非全日制用工和经济补偿作出专门规定，是调整中国用人单位与劳动者之间劳动关系的基础性法律。

• 书面合同与二倍工资（第10条、第82条）：建立劳动关系应当订立书面劳动合同；已建立劳动关系未同时订立的，应自用工之日起一个月内订立。用人单位自用工之日起超过一个月不满一年未与劳动者订立书面劳动合同的，应当每月支付二倍工资。
• 合同类型与无固定期限合同（第12条、第14条）：劳动合同分为固定期限、无固定期限和以完成一定工作任务为期限三种。劳动者在用人单位连续工作满十年的，或者连续订立二次固定期限劳动合同后再次续订的（劳动者提出订立固定期限劳动合同的除外），应当订立无固定期限劳动合同。
• 试用期上限（第19条、第20条）：合同期限三个月以上不满一年的，试用期不得超过一个月；一年以上不满三年的，不得超过二个月；三年以上固定期限和无固定期限的，不得超过六个月。同一用人单位与同一劳动者只能约定一次试用期，试用期工资不得低于约定工资的百分之八十，并不得低于当地最低工资标准。
• 服务期与培训费用（第22条）：用人单位为劳动者提供专项培训费用、进行专业技术培训的，可以约定服务期。劳动者违反服务期约定的，应当支付违约金，数额不得超过培训费用，也不得超过服务期尚未履行部分所应分摊的培训费用。
• 保密与竞业限制（第23条、第24条）：当事人可以约定保守用人单位的商业秘密和与知识产权相关的保密事项。竞业限制的人员限于高级管理人员、高级技术人员和其他负有保密义务的人员，期限不得超过二年；竞业限制期内，用人单位应按月给予劳动者经济补偿。
• 劳动者解除合同（第37条、第38条）：劳动者提前三十日以书面形式通知用人单位，可以解除劳动合同，试用期内提前三日通知。用人单位未及时足额支付劳动报酬、未依法缴纳社会保险费等法定情形下，劳动者可以即时解除。
• 用人单位解除与经济补偿（第39条至第41条、第46条、第47条）：无过失性解除须提前三十日书面通知或额外支付一个月工资。经济补偿按工作年限每满一年支付一个月工资，月工资为解除或终止前十二个月的平均工资；月工资高于本地区上年度职工月平均工资三倍的，按三倍支付且年限最高不超过十二年。
• 劳务派遣（第57条、第63条、第66条）：经营劳务派遣业务须注册资本不低于二百万元并取得行政许可。劳动合同用工是基本用工形式，劳务派遣只能在临时性、辅助性或者替代性的工作岗位上实施；被派遣劳动者与用工单位同类岗位劳动者享有同工同酬权利。
• 非全日制用工（第68条至第72条）：非全日制用工以小时计酬为主，劳动者在同一用人单位平均每日工作时间一般不超过四小时，每周累计不超过二十四小时；劳动报酬结算支付周期最长不得超过十五日，任何一方可随时通知终止用工且无须支付经济补偿。
• 违法解除的赔偿金（第87条）：用人单位违反本法规定解除或者终止劳动合同的，应当依照经济补偿标准的二倍向劳动者支付赔偿金。

English Key Points

The Labor Contract Law of the People's Republic of China has been in force since January 1, 2008 and was amended by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2012 (Order of the President No. 73), with the amendments taking effect on July 1, 2013. Comprising 98 articles in eight chapters, it governs the formation, performance, variation, rescission and termination of labor contracts, with dedicated rules on labor dispatch, part-time work and economic compensation (severance). It is the foundational statute for employment relationships between employers and employees in China.

• Written contract and double wages (Articles 10 and 82): A written labor contract must be concluded when a labor relationship is established; if a relationship already exists without one, it must be concluded within one month of the start of work. An employer that fails to conclude a written contract for more than one month but less than one year after work begins must pay the employee double wages for each such month.
• Contract types and open-ended contracts (Articles 12 and 14): Labor contracts are fixed-term, open-ended, or for completion of a specific task. An open-ended contract must be concluded where an employee has worked for the same employer for ten consecutive years, or where a fixed-term contract is renewed after two consecutive fixed-term contracts (unless the employee proposes a fixed-term contract).
• Probation caps (Articles 19 and 20): Probation may not exceed one month for contracts of three months to under one year, two months for one to under three years, and six months for contracts of three years or more or open-ended contracts. The same employer may agree on probation with the same employee only once, and probation pay may not be lower than 80% of the agreed wage or the local minimum wage.
• Service periods and training costs (Article 22): Where an employer provides special training funds for professional technical training, a service period may be agreed. Liquidated damages for breach of the service period may not exceed the training costs, nor the portion of training costs attributable to the unperformed part of the service period.
• Confidentiality and non-compete (Articles 23 and 24): The parties may agree on protecting the employer's trade secrets and IP-related confidential matters. Non-compete obligations are limited to senior management, senior technical personnel and other staff with confidentiality duties; the restriction period may not exceed two years, and the employer must pay monthly economic compensation during it.
• Resignation by the employee (Articles 37 and 38): An employee may rescind the contract by giving 30 days' written notice (three days during probation). Where the employer fails to pay remuneration in full and on time, or fails to pay social insurance contributions as required by law, the employee may rescind immediately.
• Termination by the employer and severance (Articles 39 to 41, 46 and 47): No-fault termination requires 30 days' written notice or one month's pay in lieu. Economic compensation is one month's wage for each year of service, based on the average monthly wage over the twelve months before rescission or termination; for high earners it is capped at three times the local average wage and twelve years of service.
• Labor dispatch (Articles 57, 63 and 66): Operating a labor dispatch business requires registered capital of at least RMB 2 million and an administrative license. Contract-based employment is the basic form of employment; dispatch may be used only for temporary, auxiliary or substitute positions, and dispatched workers are entitled to equal pay for equal work with the host entity's comparable staff.
• Part-time work (Articles 68 to 72): Part-time work is remunerated mainly by the hour; working time generally may not exceed four hours per day and 24 hours per week with the same employer. Pay settlement cycles may not exceed 15 days, and either party may terminate the engagement at any time without economic compensation.
• Damages for unlawful termination (Article 87): An employer that rescinds or terminates a labor contract in violation of this Law must pay damages equal to twice the economic compensation standard.

本页面解读基于公开文本整理，仅供参考，不构成法律意见。具体案件请咨询执业律师。
This summary is based on the published text and is for reference only; it does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for your specific case.