Over 85% of young Chinese intend to have side jobs: survey
2021/11/23 11:42

A young man at work, Hangzhou, China. /CFP

A recent survey by China Youth Daily shows that 85.5 percent of young Chinese are willing to take up side jobs.

Of the 2,454 respondents aged from 18 to 35, nearly 12 percent have already had a side job in addition to their full-time work.

Nearly 82 percent of the respondents found that more young people are taking up side jobs, with popular choices including online business, being internet celebrities, and selling online courses.

Among the people surveyed, 63.8 percent said that the capability of overall planning is vital to side hustles.

The attitude toward having side hustles varies among young people. About 72 percent believe that side jobs provide more possibilities, while 63.5 percent said that side hustles enrich spiritual life and offer a more colorful life outside of work.

Liu Qing, a young employee in Beijing who said she is planning to start a side job, warned that some young people think the standards for establishing a side business are low – they start casually, doing whatever job they want, even if it may not be suitable for them.

"I think that if you want to be successful in your side job, you must do effective market research and understand how your skill set fits in the market," she said.

Flexible employment is a very useful supplement to traditional formal employment, and it can absorb more labor and provide more choices and opportunities for solving national employment issues, Wang Ting, a professor at the Business School of China University of Political Science and Law and director of the university's Human Resources Development and Management Research Center, told China Youth Daily.

"Some young people choose side jobs out of proactive consideration. For example, starting with their own hobbies, so that their professional abilities and expertise can be improved through it, and they can make more valuable contributions to society. This is worth encouraging," Wang said. 

"While, there are also some young people who passively choose to do side jobs just because their full-time job is unable to meet their personal, family and material needs. This may be very stressful, and it would be difficult to have time to take care of their family after work, and cannot guarantee or improve the quality of their full-time jobs," the professor added.

(With input from Xinhua)


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