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No need for a house or a car, accept to ‘sit still’ until you have a good job

China’s labor market is in what is believed to be the most difficult and least-opportunistic environment, amid an economic downturn and a record number of entrants. Accordingly, the work-life balance seems to be changing for the new generation Z.

This shift goes against the “Chinese dream” ideology that President Xi Jinping once mentioned. Now, the country’s young people choose to “lay back on life,” not taking on hour-long jobs in pursuit of wealth or hard work.

Chinese Gen Z: No need for a house or a car, accept to sit still until the job is right - Photo 1.

Sophia Xie, a 22-year-old student who is about to graduate from a prestigious university in Shenzhen this summer, shared: “My school will have about 100 graduates this year. But only 10 have a job plan. right after graduation.”

Xie added: “Others plan to study for a master’s degree abroad or at home, or prepare for the civil service exam. Some even plan to stay at home until they find the right job. my friends opt for unemployment, especially in tier 1 and 2 cities.”

Xie is a generation Z – born between 1995 and 2009. She is also among the 10.76 million bachelors who will enter the Chinese labor market this year. However, according to online recruitment platform Zhaopin, job openings aimed at fresh graduates decreased by 4.5% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period last year.

“Even though people say this will be the hardest year to find a job, my classmates still get job offers with starting salaries of 6,000-10,000 yuan ($1,500) if they try,” said Xie. “

The 22-year-old student said: “It is possible that job offers will decline in the coming years. But we call our generation less interested in marriage, having children and high income. This may be the case. is an effective ‘weapon’ for us to go through periods of stagnant economic growth and not be as pessimistic as Generation Y.”

The marriage rate in China hit a 36-year low of 7.63 million last year, from a peak of 13.47 million in 2013. The birth rate in 2021 also fell 11.6% to 10. .62 million people, increasing the pressure on the population crisis. The unemployment rate in China among 16-24 year olds also hit a record 18.2% in April, when the previous month’s figure was 6.1%.

Gen Z China: No need for a house or a car, accept to sit still until the job is right - Photo 2.

Sophia Xie’s twin sister, Susie, also graduated from a university in Zhuhai (Guangdong) this year. She will come to England to study psychology and human resources.

Susie said: “Currently, living in China can basically satisfy our need for a good life. It also has many similar career, consumption, entertainment options or even even more than many developed countries.”

For Sophia and her friends, work-life balance is a top priority. “We don’t want to work overtime on weekends, have personal lives, love pets, and don’t think love or marriage is a must, let alone children,” she said.

Like many other Generation Z people, Sophia doesn’t face great pressure from work, getting married and earning enough money to buy a house, as their parents also own at least one house.

According to a report by Citic Securities, the average number of Generation Z children per household is 0.94, 2.88 lower than in 1971. This means that people in this age group have ability to get greater support from parents, less to share with siblings.

Gen Z China: No need for a house or a car, accept to sit still until the job is right - Photo 3.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Gen Z is still quite enthusiastic about pursuing the “American dream”. Benjamin Kapelke, a freshman in high school in the Bay Area, San Francisco, said: “If I’m single, I can work 60-70 hours a week. I need to work a little harder when I’m young to can take care of the family later.” Kapelke aims to work for a real estate developer in the future.

Kapelke’s main motivation remains to live a life of affluence. He plans to have a 6-figure income per year, especially while still living in San Francisco – a city with a rather expensive cost of living.

In much of California, many recruitment signs are posted on the walls and windows to search for personnel in the service industry. Audrey Choi, a freshman at Alameda High School, plans to start her own technology company, specializing in software or services.

Choi’s idol is Apple founder Steve Jobs, but wants to work only 8 hours a day and only work overtime when necessary. Choi said, “At first, it was just a joke, but I think it’s a pretty good idea. Today’s world has a strong connection between technology and other things.”

Nixon Wu – a 16-year-old student in San Francisco, also intends to work in a “digital nomad” style – that is, only need a computer and wifi. He wanted to work 8 hours a day at the start of his career to make a name for himself, making money through a number of passive channels. Wu also expects a six-figure salary a year as income streams expand.

China's Gen Z: No need for a house or a car, accept to sit still until the job is right - Photo 4.

The average monthly salary in China in 38 major cities was 10,014 yuan ($1,502) in the first quarter of 2022, down 1% year-on-year and up 10.5% year-on-year in 2020. According to Zhaopin , the average monthly salary for bachelor’s degree holders rose 1.8 percent year-on-year to 12,033 yuan.

Yu Qian (24 years old) borrowed 100,000 yuan ($15,000) from her parents in 2020 to open a drawing class for children in her hometown, the town of Zhuma Diem (Henan). Yu’s uncles and aunts left the neighborhood in the early 2000s for coastal cities, hoping to earn enough money to support their parents, buy a house, and get married there.

Yu shared: “I don’t plan to live in 1st-tier cities. My hometown is now urbanized quite a lot, the apps I use are similar to big cities. High-speed trains are also very convenient. when you want to move anywhere.” Although her work has been affected by the pandemic, Yu still plans to have a child in the future.

Gen Z Chinese whose parents are migrant workers often grew up in the cities, not the countryside. They have a higher level of education, which means factories want to hire them. However, the job they want is service in cities because the pay is higher.

Chinese Gen Z: No need for a house or a car, accept to sit still until the job is right - Photo 5.

Yu added: “If married, most young people in big cities have at least 1 house, 1 car and ‘own property’ around 200,000 yuan. Usually, parents will be the ones who buy the parts. big of those.”

The fact that Gen Z has less pressure than Gen Y has helped them pursue freelance work, which is different from the tradition.

Wang Ang – 19 years old, from Guangzhou who has a part-time job, said: “Perhaps, the economic impact of the pandemic will affect us soon. But I prefer to live with my parents and uncle. My pet cat. My parents are also very supportive of becoming a KOL trainer.”

In 2020, China has expanded the definition of “having a job”, to include new graduates selling online, gamers or owning blogs. According to the Ministry of Education, recent graduates who open an e-commerce website will be classified as “already employed”, as long as they provide a link and registration information.

Annie Wang, who runs a company that provides advertising content and brand marketing, said: “Gen Z has a greater sense of security and confidence in their work, as well as their income. They no longer have to suffer. family’s financial pressure and can focus on doing what I enjoy.”

Refer to SCMP

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