Henan retailer to employ more former prisoners

Chinese retailer Pangdonglai plans to expand a hiring program for people who have completed prison sentences, after all 30 employees recruited under the initiative in 2025 remained with the company.

The Henan-based retailer said on Aug 14 that its planned Zhengzhou store would recruit 20 people who had served prison terms of more than five years through a dedicated application channel. The company also plans to recruit 100 veterans who served in border defense units through a separate channel.

The move builds on a program launched in August 2025, when Pangdonglai founder Yu Donglai announced that about 2 percent of roughly 1,000 positions at the company's third store in Xinxiang would be reserved for people with criminal records.

Yu said the initiative was intended to give people who had made mistakes in the past an opportunity to regain dignity, find stable employment and reintegrate into society.

The company received 30 applications from people who had completed prison sentences and hired all 30. They went through the same recruitment procedures as other candidates and entered a six-month probationary period, during which both sides could decide whether to continue the employment relationship.

A year later, Yu said all 30 were still working at Pangdonglai.

"After the first group of people released from prison joined Pangdonglai, not a single one has left. They are all working steadily and happily and living healthy lives," Yu wrote on social media on Aug 15.

He attributed the result to a corporate culture based on "respect, dignity, fairness, kindness, justice and love".

Pangdonglai has also responded to online claims that the initiative amounted to hiring former inmates without restrictions.

The company said people convicted of serious offenses, including sexual crimes and serious violent crimes, are excluded from the program. Applicants with criminal records must go through the same recruitment process as other candidates, and hiring standards are not lowered.

The first group was primarily assigned to back-office positions such as warehousing and logistics, an arrangement the company said was intended to balance employment support with operational and safety considerations.

The initiative has sparked broad discussion online. Supporters see it as an example of corporate social responsibility, arguing that stable employment can give people who have served their sentences a practical route back into society and help reduce the stigma they face after release. Some described the program as a "vote of confidence" in people seeking a second chance.

Others, however, have questioned whether a retailer that directly serves large numbers of consumers should take on such a role, arguing that ensuring a safe and stable shopping environment should remain a primary responsibility.

The debate comes as China strengthens legal provisions concerning the reintegration of people released from prison.

The current Prison Law stipulates that people who have completed prison sentences enjoy equal rights with other citizens.

The revised Prison Law, which will take effect on Nov 1, goes further. It states that local governments should provide education and guidance, encourage employment and entrepreneurship while helping them reintegrate into society. It also encourages social forces to participate in assistance and resettlement programs.

The law further stipulates that people who have completed prison sentences enjoy equal rights with other citizens and should not face discrimination in employment, education or access to social security.

Founded in Xuchang, Henan province, in 1995, Pangdonglai has become a well-known regional retail chain, drawing national attention for its customer service and employee-focused management practices.