PRC: Judicial Interpretation (II) On Labour Disputes 中国：劳动争议司法解释(二)

The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) has issued the Interpretation on the Application of Law in the Trial of Labour Dispute Cases (II) (Judicial Interpretation (II)), which came into effect on 1 September 2025. This marks the SPC’s first update on labour dispute judicial interpretations since the issuance of Judicial Interpretation (I) in 2021. This update summarises the noteworthy aspects of Judicial Interpretation (II).

最高人民法院（“最高法”）颁布了《最高人民法院关于审理劳动争议案件适用法律问题的解释（二）》（“《司法解释（二）》”），自2025年9月1日起施行。这是自2021年劳动争议司法解释（一）实施以来，最高法时隔四年又一次发布劳动争议相关的司法解释。本次更新将总结《司法解释（二）》中值得关注的事项。

Employment involving foreign nationals and entities

涉外雇佣

With more foreign nationals residing and working in China, Judicial Interpretation (II) clarifies the rights of foreign individuals employed under various forms and statuses to be protected by PRC employment laws. Article 4 confirms that courts will recognise the existence of an employment relationship between a foreign national and an employer in China where any of the following circumstances are met:

1. the individual has obtained permanent residency;
2. the individual has obtained a work permit and is legally residing or staying in China; or
3. the individual has completed relevant procedures according to national regulations.

随着外国人来华居住或工作的情况增多，《司法解释（二）》确认了以多种形式或身份在华就业的外国人受中国劳动法保护的权利。《司法解释（二）》第四条规定，外国人与中华人民共和国境内的用人单位建立用工关系，有下列情形之一，外国人请求确认与用人单位存在劳动关系的，人民法院依法予以支持：

1. 已取得永久居留资格的；
2. 已取得工作许可且在中国境内合法停留居留的；
3. 按照国家有关规定办理相关手续的。

Additionally, Article 5 of Judicial Interpretation (II) confirms that although representative offices of foreign enterprises in China are neither legal persons nor qualified employers, they may nonetheless participate as parties in labour dispute proceedings. If a party seeks to include a foreign enterprise in the proceedings, the court will grant such an application.

此外，《司法解释（二）》第五条确认了外国企业常驻代表机构虽不具备法人或雇主资格，但可以作为劳动争议案件的当事人参加诉讼。当事人申请追加外国企业参加诉讼的，人民法院依法予以支持。

Renewal of the second fixed-term employment contract

第二份固定期限劳动合同的续订

Under the Labour Contract Law, where an employee and an employer have entered into two consecutive fixed-term employment contracts, the parties must enter into a permanent employment contract upon further renewal, unless the employee requests a fixed-term contract or there are grounds for the employer to unilaterally terminate the contract.

根据《劳动合同法》的规定，员工与雇主连续订立二次固定期限劳动合同，除非员工提出订立固定期限劳动合同、或存在雇主可以合法单方解除的情形的，双方在续订时应当订立无固定期限劳动合同。

To address the common practices of employers aimed at circumventing signing permanent contracts, Article 10 of Judicial Interpretation (II) clarifies what constitutes “two consecutive fixed-term employment contracts.” The following scenarios are deemed to meet this threshold:

1. the employer and employee agree to extend the term of the employment contract, and the cumulative extension exceeds one year, with the extended term having expired;
2. the employment contract includes a clause for automatic renewal upon expiry, and the renewed term has expired;
3. the employee continues to work at the original location and position for reasons not attributable to the employee, while the employer changes the contracting entity but continues to manage the employee’s work, and the contract period has expired; or
4. any other circumstances violating the principle of good faith that effectively amount to a further renewal of the employment contract, with the relevant contract period having expired.

为应对实践中不少用人单位有意规避订立无固定期限合同的情况，《司法解释（二）》第十条规定以下情形构成“连续订立二次固定期限劳动合同”：

1. 用人单位与劳动者协商延长劳动合同期限累计达到一年以上，延长期限届满的；
2. 用人单位与劳动者约定劳动合同期满后自动续延，续延期限届满的；
3. 劳动者非因本人原因仍在原工作场所、工作岗位工作，用人单位变换劳动合同订立主体，但继续对劳动者进行劳动管理，合同期限届满的；
4. 以其他违反诚信原则的规避行为再次订立劳动合同，期限届满的。

Continued employment after contract expiry

劳动合同期满后继续用工

Article 11 of Judicial Interpretation (II) provides clarity on situations where an employee continues working after the employment contract term has expired. If the employee continues working and the employer does not raise any objection for over one month, the employee is entitled to request a renewal of the employment contract on the same terms. In such case, if the employer terminates the employment, the employee has the right to demand that the employer bear the legal consequences of the termination in accordance with applicable laws.

《司法解释（二）》第十一条规定，劳动合同期满后，劳动者仍在用人单位工作，用人单位未表示异议超过一个月，劳动者有权请求用人单位以原条件续订劳动合同。在这种情况下，如用人单位解除劳动合同，劳动者有权请求用人单位依法承担解除劳动合同的法律后果。

Paragraph 2 of Article 11 also emphasises that if the employee meets the legal conditions for signing a permanent employment contract, they are entitled to request the employer to enter into such a contract under the original terms.

第十一条的第二款还强调了，符合订立无固定期限劳动合同情形的，劳动者有权请求用人单位以原条件订立无固定期限劳动合同。

Non-compete restraints

竞业限制

In light of the increasing misuse of non-compete agreements in the market, the Judicial Interpretation (II) provides clarification on the application and scope of non-compete restraints.

面对近年来市场上滥用竞业限制的趋势，《司法解释（二）》对竞业限制适用范围作了进一步的阐释。

Under Article 13 of Judicial Interpretation (II), non-compete restrictions do not apply to employees who did not have access to, or did not have knowledge of, their employer’s trade secrets or intellectual property-related confidential information. In such cases, the employee may request a court to declare the non-compete restraint invalid.

根据第十三条的规定，劳动者如果未知悉、接触用人单位的商业秘密和与知识产权相关的保密事项，则不适用竞业限制。在这种情况下，劳动者可以向法院请求确认竞业限制条款不生效。

Additionally, if the scope, geographic area, or duration of the non-compete clauses are not reasonably connected to the employee’s knowledge of trade secrets or intellectual property-related confidential information, the employee can request that a court declare the excessive parts of the non-compete clause invalid.

此外，竞业限制条款约定的竞业限制范围、地域、期限等内容与劳动者知悉、接触的商业秘密和与知识产权相关的保密事项不相适应，劳动者也可以请求法院确认竞业限制条款超过合理比例部分无效。

Social insurance

社会保险

Judicial Interpretation (II) affirms the mandatory obligation on employers to make social insurance contributions for their employees. Article 19 stipulates that any agreement between the employer and employee, or any unilateral promise by the employee, purporting to exempt the employer from paying social insurance contributions shall be deemed invalid by the court.

《司法解释（二）》确认了雇主为员工缴纳社会保险的强制性义务。第十九条规定，用人单位与劳动者约定或者劳动者向用人单位承诺无需缴纳社会保险费的，人民法院应当认定该约定或者承诺无效。

Furthermore, if the employer fails to make social insurance contributions, the employee is entitled to terminate the employment contract on these grounds and request severance from the employer.

此外，用人单位未依法缴纳社会保险费，劳动者有权以雇主未依法为劳动者缴纳社会保险费为由请求解除劳动合同，并要求用人单位支付经济补偿。

If the employer subsequently makes the required social insurance contributions, they may request the employee to return any privately paid compensation related to those contributions.

有上述规定情形，用人单位在依法补缴社会保险费后，可以请求劳动者返还已私下支付的社会保险费补偿。

Key takeaways

要点总结

The judicial interpretations issued by the SPC have a legal effect similar to formal laws and can directly serve as the basis for court judgments, thereby ensuring nationwide consistency in decisions for similar cases. Employers should review and assess their employment management practices in light of Judicial Interpretation (II) to ensure compliance with the latest requirements.

最高法发布的司法解释具有类同于法律的效力，可以直接作为法院的裁判依据，因此将统一全国范围内法院对类似案件的判决。各雇主应当根据《司法解释（二）》审查自身的雇佣管理，以确保合乎最新的合规规定。

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.