The U.S. has not yet kicked off any trade negotiations with China, as both Washington and Beijing have slapped steep tariffs against each other’s imports.

As financial markets pin their hopes on a de-escalation in the U.S.-China trade war, some experts caution that meaningful progress in striking a deal between the world's two largest economies may still be some way off.

China’s leaders are already yanking levers to soften the blow. At a Politburo meeting on April 25th, they vowed to increase rebates of unemployment-insurance payments for firms hit by tariffs. But there is another labour market saviour: the vast gig economy.