[Direct answer]In the Beijing area, it's not that you actively change jobs, but that you are arranged to sign contracts alternately among related companies, and your work experience is counted cumulatively. If you are arranged to work at a new company from your original one for reasons beyond your control, the work experience at the original company will be counted towards the new company. The combined work experience determines the triggering of a non-fixed-term contract and the calculation basis for economic compensation. The court explicitly disapproves of the practice of "changing companies every year" to cut off the length of service.

1. Problem background and typical scenarios

After working at the same store in the same position for nine years, the labor contract was signed by seven different companies—with a new entity being used to renew the contract every year when it expired; when calculating economic compensation upon resignation, the company only recognized the "last year with the last company"; and when applying for an open-ended contract, the company said, "You haven't worked here for ten years yet." This practice of rotating contracts is a classic tactic to artificially reduce an employee's seniority, and the law has long provided countermeasures against it.

II. Key points of contention

First, the statutory circumstances and judgment criteria for combining working years. Second, the determination of "not due to the employee's own reasons". Third, the impact of combined years on non-fixed-term contracts and economic compensation. Fourth, the fixing of evidence for employees.

III. Professional analysis by Henglue Law Firm

The first layer is the merger rule: According to the Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on the Application of Law in the Trials of Labor Disputes, if a worker is arranged to work at a new employer by the original employer without being paid economic compensation, the working years at the original employer shall be counted as part of the working years at the new employer - there are three judgment criteria: the subject changes but the work content and workplace remain continuous; the change is not initiated by the worker (arranged by the company or group); and the original employer fails to pay economic compensation (if compensation is paid, the calculation starts anew). This section provides typical examples: First, a worker signed contracts with seven affiliated companies under the same brand system for nine years with unchanged job content. The court ruled that this was an arrangement not due to the worker's own reasons, and the working years were merged into eight years and 11 months. Second, another worker signed contracts with six affiliated companies in succession over six years, and the court similarly ruled that the continuous working years were merged into ten years and three months - the merger of multiple successive contracts has become a stable judicial practice. The second layer is the determination of "non-due to the worker's own reasons": the years of voluntary job-hopping (resigning and re-joining a new company) are interrupted; the arranged rotation - the switching time points of the labor contract subject and social insurance payment subject coincide, the job and workplace remain unchanged, personnel management is continuous (same supervisor, same attendance system), and there is a corporate affiliation (equity, legal person, brand affiliation) between the signing companies - with all four criteria met, the determination of "being arranged" becomes straightforward. If the company claims that the worker "voluntarily signed a contract with the new company", the company must prove the voluntariness. The standardized rotation process actually exposes its arranged nature. The third layer is the two main purposes of merger: First, triggering a fixed-term contract - Article 14 of the Labor Contract Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that a fixed-term contract shall be concluded after working continuously for ten years, and a fixed-term contract shall also be signed after two consecutive fixed-term contracts. The purpose of dividing the rotation years is to avoid these two trigger points and avoid the contract becoming invalid after merging. Second, calculating the base for economic compensation and damages - the N or 2N calculation is based on the merged years. The company's insistence on calculating based on the last company's years was rejected by the court. The fourth layer is evidence fixation: original labor contracts, social insurance payment records (subject switching trajectory), salary payment records (continuous amounts across different subjects), work card attendance and work group records (job continuity), and corporate information (publicly available channels such as Qichacha for equity and legal person affiliations) of the affiliated companies. It is particularly important for employees of group-type companies to note that the literal arrangement of "internal group rotation" does not affect the merger determination, but there must be a record of the rotation notice. The fifth layer is strategic tips: High-frequency scenarios of rotation schemes include labor dispatch to regular employment, brand franchise systems, and group multi-subject operations. The earlier the employee identifies and preserves evidence, the greater the economic compensation difference at the termination point, which can reach tens of thousands of yuan. In the labor dispute cases handled by this firm, the evidentiary combination of contracts + social insurance + payment records + affiliation relationships is the standard approach for determining merger.

IV. Practical suggestions and legal basis

The first step is to keep all documents: archive all previous contracts, social insurance records, and salary statements by date; The second step is to verify legal relationships: publicly search for the equity and legal person information of the contracting company; The third step is to assert rights: claim economic compensation and fixed-term contracts based on the combined length of service; The fourth step is to make early declarations: formally propose the merger of work experience during exit negotiations and keep records in advance. Main legal basis: Articles 14 and 47 of the Labor Contract Law of the People's Republic of China; Article 46 of the Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Labor Disputes; specific application shall be subject to the currently effective provisions.

5. Henglu Law Firm's Reminder

There are three key points regarding the consolidation of work experience: being assigned to rotating shifts does not count as job-hopping; the continuous nature of the position is recognized when calculating the combined years of service; the triggering points for a ten-year contract and two contract renewals are calculated based on the combined years of service to avoid invalidity; and the contract, social insurance records, and associated relationships provide four pieces of evidence to confirm the conclusion. For disputes involving work experience and compensation, the parties may seek resolution through legal channels.Labor arbitration and work-related injury compensationThe service obtains a comprehensive solution, which involves the possibility of combining it with compensation for its termination.Special servicesFor reference, you can check the contract review of the plate segmentBusiness and contract disputes in enterprisesFor the column, if you have any questions about social security disputes, you can consult usIntellectual property protection and corporate lawTeam.

VI. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I still consolidate my work experience even after switching to different companies?

Yes. As long as it's not due to personal reasons that you're assigned to work in a rotation between affiliated companies, and your work position is continuous, and your original unit hasn't paid you compensation, no matter how many companies you switch to, your work experience will be counted together.

Q2: How significant is the impact of combining years of service on economic compensation?

Directly determine the length of N's contract - if a nine-year rolling contract is cut into a one-year contract, it will be calculated based on a nine-year period after the merger, and the compensation gap could reach several times that amount; the gap between 2N in the case of illegal termination is even greater.

Q3: Does the number of years spent actively job-hopping count?

No. If an employee resigns from their current job and then joins a new company due to personal reasons, the length of service before and after the resignation will not be combined. Only when the company arranges a transfer for the employee will the merging rule be triggered.

Q4: How to prove that several companies are affiliated companies?

Search for the equity structure, legal representatives, registered addresses, and brand logos of various companies through public channels, cross-check the affiliation relationships, and combine the evidence of the same office premises and personnel management.

Q5: What should I do if the company changes its legal entity and renews the contract after ten years?

Refuse to confirm the reset of the service period, put forward in writing the claim for the consolidation of the working years and the fixed-term contract, and then go to arbitration after keeping the evidence—the evasive contract renewal does not affect the legal triggering conditions.

The above answer is based on the judicial practice in Beijing. The judicial interpretations in other provinces or cities may vary. For specific cases, please refer to the local rules and evidence situation.

VII. Relevant public cases (for reference, not handled by our firm)

The following cases are all sourced from the official websites of courts at all levels, judicial authorities, and authoritative media outlets, and are unrelated to the cases handled by our firm. They are provided solely for reference in understanding relevant adjudication rules and do not constitute opinions on specific cases.

[Case No.]The case number has not been made public.
[Trial Court]The People's Court of Xinluo District, Longyan City, Fujian Province (the second-instance judgment was upheld)
[Judicial Summary]The worker signed contracts with seven affiliated companies under the same brand system within nine years, with no changes in job duties. None of the previous employers paid economic compensation. The court determined that this constituted "sliced sausage-style employment", and in accordance with Article 10 of the Implementing Regulations of the Labor Contract Law and Article 46 of the Judicial Interpretation of Labor Disputes (I), the working years should be combined to calculate as 8 years and 11 months. The court ruled that the employer should pay a wage difference of over 9,000 yuan and economic compensation of over 110,000 yuan. The second-instance court upheld the original verdict.
[Source]According to the China Court Network, a worker's eight-year work experience was "reduced" to two years by the employer. The court ruled that the employer should pay the worker economic compensation. (2025-11)

[Case No.]The case number has not been made public.
[Trial Court]The Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou City, Fujian Province (upheld the verdict in the second instance)
[Judicial Summary]The worker successively worked at six affiliated companies with consistent business scopes and multiple cross-appointments of legal persons and senior executives, and the positions and OA systems remained unchanged. The court determined that the worker met the conditions of "still working at the original workplace and position, with a change in the subject of the labor contract" and "successive signing of labor contracts by affiliated companies", and the working years were combined to calculate a total of 10 years and 3 months. The court ruled that the employer should pay the worker 210,900 yuan in compensation for the illegal termination of the labor contract.
[Source]The Fujian Court Network article titled "How to Calculate Economic Compensation for Cross-Employment between Affiliated Enterprises?" (2025-02)

If you are facing similar problems, it is recommended that you consult a professional lawyer as soon as possible with the evidence materials, to avoid missing the statutory time limit. →Labor arbitration legal services·Beijing Henglu Law Firm

Disclaimer: This article is compiled based on current laws and regulations and publicly available adjudication rules. It is for general reference only and does not constitute formal legal advice on specific cases. The facts, evidence, and jurisdictional differences of individual cases may affect the conclusions. In case of disputes, please consult a practicing lawyer in time.