Young workers in China prefer flexible work arrangements

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. 

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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.