According to the requirements in the Regulations of the Shanghai Municipality on Labor Contracts, the text of a labor contract may be either provided by the workplace organization (employer) or formulated jointly by the workplace organization and the employee. In order to protect employees in a weaker position, these regulations are provided for situations whereby labor contracts are written by workplace organizations, so the principle of fairness is followed and the lawful rights and interests of employees are not infringed.

These regulations also state the exact requirements on the language used in labor contracts. Any and all labor contracts shall be prepared in the Chinese language, or in the Chinese and foreign languages. Labor contracts may, upon mutual agreement through negotiation by and between both parties, be prepared in the language(s) jointly designated by both parties. In the case of any discrepancies arising between the Chinese and foreign language versions of the labor contracts, the Chinese version shall prevail.