A future project in which I examine how migrant gig and aging manufacturing workers and miners navigate the social welfare system in China. As work becomes more precarious and workers with stable employment retire, China’s social welfare system has been increasingly unable to adequately support workers, especially in the North Central rustbelt provinces of Shanxi and Henan (which has recently become the epicenter of Chinese labor protests). I seek to answer how meso-level officials implement the social insurance and labor contract laws, reign in capital and attractive investment, and maintain social stability in North Central China.