Moonlighting shines
Side jobs are becoming increasingly popular among young people in China, especially those who crave better lives backed by higher incomes and more diverse occupational options.
The term “everybody needs a side gig” has ranked among the top search terms on Sina Weibo recently, garnering around 150 million views and 21,000 comments.
Comments with the most “likes” include, “No matter what job you have, you should always have a plan B”, and, “If your salary is lower than 10,000 yuan ($1,410), a side job is a necessity, because a lack of money will lead to worry and anxiety.”
More than 17 percent of young working people — over 80 million employees — in China were taking up second or third jobs as of April, an increase of 9.7 percent year-onyear, according to a report released by Nanjing University, Tsingyan Research and Du Xiaoman Financial, the financial arm of tech giant Baidu.
Around half the people with one or more side jobs were between ages 24 and 28, and most were educated to the junior college level or beyond, the report says.
Economic pressures and desires for self-development were the main motivations for moonlighting, according to the report.
Pan Xueying, a public relations manager in Beijing, took on two part-time jobs as a marketingevents planner and new-media writer earlier this year, after her rent doubled when she moved into a new apartment.
The 26-year-old pays around 5,000 yuan a month in rent and sends home 3,000 yuan to support her parents.
“I thought I should do something to confront the situation,” she says, adding that her side jobs are important sources of extra income.
She gets around 13,000 yuan from her main job, while the other two jobs generate between 6,000 and 8,000 yuan a month.
She works from 10 am to 7 pm at her main company, and from 8 pm to 11 pm online, including weekends.
Pan says the side jobs have improved her living standards, strengthened her skills and expanded her social network. The downside is that she sometimes feels exhausted, as work occupies practically all of her time.
According to the report, 80 percent of China’s so-called amphibious youth — young people who have one or more additional jobs — work more than 12 hours a day.
Ruan Fang, a global partner with Boston Consulting Group, says the millennial generation is quite different from their predecessors, as they don’t set obvious boundaries between work and life. “Work has become an integral part of their lives.”
She adds that the internet boom has also provided more opportunities for young people to live double lives in their free time. And they are also more open to making their hobbies profitable.
Yuan Chunran,
a29-year-old college teacher in Beijing, started offering online painting courses in 2016. These now generate around 20,000 yuan per month — 70 to 80 percent of his monthly income.
After his school classes end in the afternoon, he heads to his studio and begins to livestream his painting lessons from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm three nights a week.
“I’m glad to be able to do something that I’m really interested in, even if sometimes I feel tired out after working day and night,” he says.
He adds that this side job has allowed him to rent an apartment and a studio that costs 15,000 yuan, hire a studio assistant and set cash aside to fund his new jewelry-design business — so long as he can continue to juggle his two lives. As well as providing a new revenue stream, this latest venture also helps him to connect with more people in art and design circles, and share his experiences of dealing with companies and clients with his students.
Wang Lei, a biology researcher in Beijing, agrees that the “everybody needs a side gig” philosophy will develop as living costs and social pressures continue to rise.
The 31-year-old’s first side job was as a part-time translator, after he was recruited by a scientific institute following his graduation in 2016. He earns around 10,000 yuan per month from his day job.
A 3,000-word essay would take him three or four days’ spare time to complete. He earned between 300 and 500 yuan per translation.
Now he only translates one or two essays a month, because he has found another more lucrative side job — providing technical consultancy services to company clients for around 1,000 yuan per month.
He says it’s not uncommon for scientific researchers like him to take on extra work. “If you can exchange your knowledge for cash, why not? In fact, you just need the (professional) skills to find a second job.”
According to another report by online recruitment-services provider Zhaopin, in 2018, about 53 percent of “amphibious youth” had monthly salaries of less than 8,000 yuan — a sum that barely covers basic living expenses in a first-tier city.
“A side job offers extra security and a way to ease anxiety,” says Li Qiang, executive vice-president of Zhaopin.
Some young workers chose to develop parallel careers simply out of interest, rather than primarily to increase their incomes.
Wang Zuyi, an art editor for a Beijing magazine, tried several occupations before graduation — as a former graphic designer, a craft retailer and an e-commerce vendor. Her main side gig now is as a tattooist.
“I wanted to explore all my interests. And I want to keep learning during my spare time,” the 25-yearold says, adding that the business provides her with an additional 6,000 to 7,000 yuan per month on average, and around 20,000 yuan during peak holidays. Her monthly salary as an editor is around 6,000 yuan.
She says her goal is to become a recognized folk-art tattooist.
Yang Huizi, a college teacher in Beijing, runs online stores on the Taobao and Weidian e-commerce platforms, selling her own artistic creations.
The profit margin remains slim due to the high cost of buying materials, promotion and logistics.
“Although the revenue is much lower than my salary, I love doing it because it makes me happy when I can see my ideas turn into real objects that influence people,” the 34-year-old says, adding the connection between her side business and her main job helps her improve her expertise.
Zhao Shuguang, a media professor at Nanjing University, tells China Youth Daily that the country’s “amphibious youth” embody the spirit of hardworking Chinese people. They love the sense of achievement that comes from handling multiple occupations, and are willing to invest the time, energy and cash to make them work, he says.
Zhaopin’s Li thinks that increasing job flexibility will help young entrepreneurs to thrive in the future as internet commerce and the shared economy continue their rapid development.
The three most popular side occupations in China are e-commerce vendors, writers and designers — all of which enjoy strong market demand, have low entry barriers and offer enormous flexibility, the Zhaopin report says.
Companies are also becoming more open and inclusive so that the flow in human capital in the labor market will become freer in the future, according to Li.
“But it’s also important to develop your side jobs while handling your main career as well. Your choice of occupation should play to your strengths,” he says. “Improving your expertise is key to survival when faced with fierce competition.”
Ruan from Boston Consulting suggests young entrepreneurs should learn how to combine their jobs with their interests and settle on long-term careers that suit them as early as possible.
“It’s not wise to explore blind avenues simply to make quick money,” she says. “If you are more interested in your side business, why not make it your main career? Only when you focus on a single idea will you be able to make a real success of it.”
She adds that when young people start families, it will be more difficult for them to deal with two or even three jobs. The toll on their physical health will not be sustainable and could hinder their career development.
The report from Du Xiaoman Financial shows that more than 65 percent of young entrepreneurs have plans to turn their side businesses into their main careers. Then, the drive to improve professionally will help them attain selffulfillment, it says.