Young Chinese seek alternative jobs in a changing economy

Despite the loneliness, the uprooting and a much warmer and more humid climate than usual, Guo Ting She left her stable job to fulfill her dream: to become an actress in “Chinese Hollywood.”

This 27-year-old woman is part of a new phenomenon among the Chinese youth who, in many cases, prefer to leave secure and even well-paid jobs and pursue an alternative career that is more financially risky but more rewarding in other ways.

Previously based in Beijing in the north of the country, Guo has started her new life this year in the subtropical Hengdian in the east, home to the great Cinema studios and casting agencies.

Since her childhood she dreamed of being an actress, but she put that ambition aside due to pressure from the adults around her.

But after several years working in an office, Guo believes that “happiness is the most important thing.”

Media of China and online publications have noticed that many young people are leaving their professional careers behind to follow less conventional paths, such as a “nomadic life” in a van or become “influencer” or in artist.

Although they are a small minority, the growing discussion around these profiles reflects broader changes in the world’s second-largest economy after decades of dizzying growth.

Some people, especially from prosperous backgrounds, “They try to redefine what success is“explains Miao Jia, a sociology expert at New York University in Shanghai.

“After receiving better education and enjoying the benefits brought by rapid economic growthstart thinking about what things make you happy,” tells AFP.

“More diverse” generation

These are times of change for the Chinese youth and their perception of work. In recent years, defeatist concepts such as “lie down” either “let it rot” have gained popularity among those facing intense job competition.

At the same time, other job seekers anxious about the economic slowdown and the volatility of the private sector have opted for the security of jobs in public administration or state-owned companies.

And many others do not even find work, as demonstrated by the high unemployment rate. youth unemployment of 14.2% in May.

“The younger generation in China is becoming more diverse than the previous generation,” formerexplains sociologist Miao.

If before the normal for the urban youth middle class was to go to an office, these types of desk jobs are a rare opportunity in many parts of the country.

For Ouyang, a 20-year-old high school graduate living in the small commercial city of Yiwu, the fluorescent-lit office where he helps run an online trading business is something new.

In his hometown in central Henan Province, Ouyang, who identified himself with a nickname for privacy reasons, made “of everything”.

“I was a waiter in a restaurant. It was very chaotic and I felt like I was just killing time with work,” Explain.

Disappointed with the lower wages in his native Henan, the young man jumped at the chance to become an online seller of cheap goods after making friends online who were in the business.

Economic problems

This new life is not a bed of roses. In Hengdian, Guo shares a flat with other aspiring entrepreneurs. film careerwhere she is preparing for a casting. She searches through her closet for clothes similar to those she wore when she was an office worker to play the role of an employee of a large corporation that she hopes to obtain.

The casting agency is located next to a community space run by an actors’ union, where dozens of people wait for their auditions or job interviews.I feel some pressure because when you start you don’t decide when to act in a film. The decision is in the hands of others.“Guo tells AFP.

For now, he only earns about 2,000 yuan ($275) a month from whatever odd jobs he can get.Before I had a stable monthly salary and I never had to worry that I wouldn’t have enough.“, Explain.

He has also struggled to adjust to the change from an office workplace where he could socialise to the solitary life of a freelancer. But Guo says money is not his sole motivation, nor that of his colleagues.

According to her, the other people in a similar situation she has met in Hengdian believed that “Following a pre-established routine made no sense”.