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China's Millennials Are Hustling For Part-Time Gigs Instead of Traditional Jobs (bloomberg.com)
Bloomberg has a report today in which it underscores a growing trend among millennials in China who are looking for part-time jobs. From the article: Hopping from one short-term stint to another isn't the sort of aspiration an earlier generation had in China, where the middle-class dream has long been university degrees followed by a stable job -- preferably one backed by the government. In a 2016 poll of 13,000 college students, 48 percent said they didn't want to enter the traditional labor market. Hardly any of these part-time jobs pay well, but it doesn't matter to millennials. The report adds: "The money is little," Zhang Chen, a 21-year-old accounting student said of the short gig that pays about 240 yuan ($35). "But I want a more interesting life." Chen was lined up for the work through DouMi, a startup that focuses exclusively on part-time positions and blends elements of a temp agency with an internet jobs board and marketing service. For around 130 yuan a day, DouMi users can sort crates of milk at a supermarket or hand out pamphlets on frozen sidewalks. Those considered "beautiful women," and between the ages of 18 and 28, can make four times as much plus tips by working as live-streaming models to keep mostly-male viewers entertained. Many of the roles run for mere days or weeks at a time, a flexibility that suits those juggling social lives and university studies. "Every month we have between 300,000 and 400,000 jobs," said Chief Executive Officer Zhao Shiyong.
...and demand full time employment.
The gig economy is an extension of the reduce all costs, regardless of longterm impacts mentality that has brought us off-shoring, temp workers and the destruction of the middle class and the safety nets of retirement benefits.
It is one more step down the short road that leads is to eating tasty soylent green while pedaling a stationary bike for electricity and dreaming of actually holding a grapefruit
I hate euphemisms, and "gig" is just a euphemism for day laborer. We've been down that path before, is this really what we want to go back to?
I've seen this before in the video game industry. High school graduates pissing their pants to test (not play) video games and get paid for it. Eager beavers willing to work 80 hours a week for months on end. Flash forward years later, they're no longer in the video game industry and realize that all they have accumulated is a bunch of cheap tech toys. Sad.
"The money is little...but I want a more interesting life."
While the part-time choice while attending college may be the rather obvious choice due to school demand, I'm wondering about those who are choosing not to seek out stable full-time employment post-graduation. Things like getting married, starting a family, or even moving out from underneath Mom and Dads roof; all of these life events will likely cost more than the average "interesting" salary.
This story seems to glamorize Lifestyles of the Poor but Interesting, but perhaps the glamor is hiding the true problem, which hints to a growing shortage of full-time jobs.
eHo
Table-ized A.I.
Seriously. "Cam models" are literately just Chaturbate and similar sites. If you want to know how much a female model makes, someone who is young and cute can make about $50 an hour. These are mostly Russian models however, not Chinese (due to laws about porn and inability to stream through the china firewall.) The catch to these streaming sites is that the site itself takes a >50% cut, and if you get booted from the site, there is no alternative to take you. There are of course alternate sites, but your audience will be lost.
And for the most part "chaturbate"-like sites are extremely boring. Sure you might find someone who looks cute and is actually smart, but the vast majority of adult and non-adult video streams are just people who look like they are bored to tears and only have about 4 different poses they do. The most interesting ones aren't the ones who strip on command, but rather the ones who don't strip at all unless a large payout is set. The vast majority of boring "adult" webcams are just people wearing things like the lovesense or ohmybod telepresence-like vibrators and all they do is moan when it's triggered with cheap pays (equal to about 20 cents.)
Compromise your long term goals and integrity for short term results. Musicians have been selling out for years just to play a "gig", what does it get them? Nothing. The vast majority are broke and their industry commoditized because they are willing to work for peanuts or even nothing. Please people, put a value on your time and skills and stop allowing yourself to be exploited as "cheap labor".
"moving out from underneath Mom and Dads roof;"
Its very easy to talk about money not mattering and wanting an interesting life when you don't have to worry about rent or bills. Part of being an adult is accepting responsibility for your own fate and - unless you want to live in a hut in the woods or a park bench - than means finding the money to pay the above.
The "gig" economy is just (usually rich) hipster talk for dead end park time McJobs thats been repackaged and remarketed for the latest gullible generation of 20 somethings who haven't yet wised up.
Are these people also benefiting from government handouts, or is that still a thing in China (was it ever)? Is there (was there ever) any kind of medical safety net? This makes a lot more sense if this is the equivalent of a teenager getting a side job while still living in their parents' house - if they already have some of their basic needs met, then this is really for luxuries anyways - lots of people are willing to trading working hard for a higher standard of living, but there's likely to be many others who are willing to trade a lower standard of 'stuff' to get more free time...
As opposed to the traditional job market where you may work between 1 and 10 different jobs throughout your entire working life (and getting bored in the process)? By comparison, E-giggers can work dozens or up to a hundred different jobs.
...that are boring right from the beginning.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I tried that in America right after graduation. I changed jobs about once a year (after boredom set in) and after four years, it caught up with me - suddenly nobody would talk to me because I was a "job-hopper".
Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.
as long as they just part timers (w2's) and not 1099's.
I don't know how that works in China but in the usa there is a lot of abuse of 1099's as the work places get's out of paying taxes, uniforms (in some states they must be free to workers) others mini wage laws apply. liability, workers comp, tool/car/cell reimbursement.
labor laws may push it the other way and kill real 1099's as the abused 1099's get to bad that laws over fix the issue. Just changing a lot of the 1099'ser to day to W2 will fix a lot of the issues and save the real 1099's from having to make big changes.
Dunno where you work, but around these parts all the part time jobs are scheduled by the week, and half of them will fire you if you can't show up in 30 minutes when they call you in for the lunch rush or inventory night. Oh, you're at your other job? Oh your other job wants you from 11-2PM next week too? Tough shit, but hey, you only lose half your income.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Like when accounting for "20 million active users" monthly to "between 300000 and 400000 jobs" every month.
Population of China: 1.357 Billion.
Out of which 359.14 million were employed in urban and 405 million in rural China, in 2011.
Meaning that those "monthly gigs" represent 0.039 - 0.052% of jobs in China.
While "20 million active users", would represent 2.61% of workers - if there actually were 20 million gigs too.
Instead of there only being enough "gigs" for about 1.5 - 2% of "workers".
Some of whom are significant enough percent of the whole to be singled out in the article as ""beautiful women"...between the ages of 18 and 28...working as live-streaming models to keep mostly-male viewers entertained" - for 70$ per day + tips.
I.e. The company offers either "sorting crates of milk at a supermarket or hand out pamphlets on frozen sidewalks" kind of "gigs" - or "gigs" which are not so cleverly disguised online prostitution.
Considering that regular prostitution can employ some 300000 in a single city those 80$ million look more and more like they are being made on the backs of prostitutes.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Not only is there an incredible amount of abuse, the IRS publishes rules about what is and isn't allowed, however the IRS does absolutely *nothing* about any abuse. They're quite happy to let it continue.
Kind of remember doing the same kind of thing 20+ years years ago, but we didn't have the fancy 'gig' prefix.
love is just extroverted narcissism
Oh bullshit. The rest of society (meaning, the older generations) is what set things up so badly in the first place. The Millennials are simply playing the hand they've been dealt, which is a shitty one.
When Western society goes down the tubes, it's the older generations (especially the Boomers) who will be to blame. Personally I'm hoping it happens sooner rather than later so that the Boomers will be alive to see and experience what they've brought about.
I disagree. Personally, I wouldn't mind stocking shelves for pay, for a single day. I'd get bored of it pretty quick, of course, but for a single day it'd be fine. By contrast, my regular programming work doesn't get boring that fast, but after a few years, I really get tired of working in the same place and start itching to move. Simple jobs like shelf-stocking are not really different, it just takes a lot less time to get bored with it. If I had a different such job every day, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
...that are boring right from the beginning.
Some of my best paying IT support contract work was boring at heck. But someone had to do the job.
It's almost like they just want to live for the moment...instead of plan for the future. How many times do you see young adults saying they don't have enough money for a new phone, but will buy one anyway? Never save, never put off until you can afford it...it's all now now now.
I can think of at least 2 major forces at work, and not just in China:
1. Birthrates are down
2. Automation is changing the nature of work.
These aren't new, particularly increasing automation isn't new, but that doesn't mean their impact on the future is well understood or predictable.
Millenials may be conscious of the uncertainty of work and reluctant to invest in learning skills and spending time in a job that disappears in 10 years. I suspect also that they haven't suffered the hardships of their parents and may have a more casual attitude about it all.
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
There's no shortage of W-2 abuse in the US. You need N hours to qualify for benefits? Oh look, N-1 hours on your "full time" schedule AGAIN! Sucks to be you. But remember, we need full time availability & you don't get your schedule until two days before so good luck getting another "full time" job to fill in!
Gig economy isn't that different than the reality many people face working W-2. If anything it's more honest about the fact that there's no safety net and you need to keep working until you're dead. The idea of "having a retirement" is romanticized, but it's not going to happen for probably a majority of workers in the US.
So the management just gets to offload the responsibility for its own incompetence onto the worker? It's clearly way too hard to anticipate the lunch rush or inventory night more than 30 minutes in advance!
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
The Millennials aren't having kids.
"But I want a more interesting life."
May you live in interesting times. -Chinese proverb
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