Young workers in China prefer flexible work arrangements

Employees born after 2000 are more willing to work from home and to become "digital workers" with flexible working locations and schedules.
By: | October 14, 2022
Topics: China | Digital Transformation | Hybrid Working | News | Restructuring

This was according to a recent report by recruitment platform Zhaopin and Peking University’s National School of Development.

According to the report, nearly 66% of young people born after 2000 surveyed prefer working from home. The number is much higher than surveyed people born after 1970, with about 54.4% of them preferring the new work arrangement. 

Roughly 54% of employees surveyed have side jobs, using their professional skills to make money outside their primary vocation, the report said. 

The report showed about 76.4% of surveyed young workers born after 2000 had an interest in being “digital workers”. Their willingness is also stronger than the average surveyed result of roughly 73%. 

To cater to these young people’s working preferences, more companies have begun to include “flexible working mode” in their recruitment advertisements. 

READ: China faces largest retirement wave in next 10 years

Zhaopin cited data which showed that vacancies with flexible working schedules on its platform made up 15% to 20% of total vacancies, especially for industries with growing gig economy such as transportation and logistics. 

The proportion of flexible vacancies offered by companies in these industries has increased to 25% this year, up from 10% in 2018, reported China Daily.