A shepherd recruitment notice in China offering a monthly salary of 1.77 million won drew more than 700 applicants, highlighting the country's youth employment struggles and labor market realities.
According to Reuters on Wednesday, a ranch owner in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, posted the shepherding job advertisement late last month and received over 700 applications. Applicants ranged from urban office workers and factory laborers to soon-to-be college graduates.
Only two positions were available. Those hired will tend 3,000 sheep across grasslands of approximately 2,000 hectares. The monthly salary is 8,000 yuan (about 1.77 million won), and couples hired together can earn 16,000 yuan (about 3.55 million won) per month. The pay exceeds the average monthly salary of about 6,000 yuan (1.33 million won) at private companies in Chinese cities.
The job posting spread rapidly through Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo. Within hours of being published, it drew 59 million views, attracting widespread attention.
The pool of applicants was diverse. From white-collar workers in Shanghai to manufacturing laborers and young people born in the 2000s, applications poured in from across the country.
"About one-tenth of the applicants were recent college graduates," ranch owner Zuo Xiaoyong said. "Half of the applicants were born in the 1990s."
Those born in the 1990s are considered the generation experiencing China's so-called "curse of 35." With companies avoiding job seekers over 35, many face disadvantages in the employment market.
China's official unemployment rate stands at around 5%, but Reuters analyzed that rising underemployment and stagnant private-sector wages are fueling labor market instability.
Another burden is the record 12.7 million college graduates expected to enter the labor market this summer. With the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and corporate cost-cutting moves compounding the situation, employment competition is expected to intensify.
Fatigue with urban workplace culture is also cited as a backdrop for the surge in applications. China's so-called "996 culture" — working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — remains prevalent. Some office workers exhausted by long hours have shown interest in ranch life, which offers relatively simple work in a natural setting.
Wu, an office worker in the e-commerce industry, told Reuters, "I wanted to escape city life and experience a peaceful life away from the world."
But the reality is harsh. "In winter, temperatures drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, and you may rarely see anyone all year round," Zuo said.
After fierce competition, the selected candidates were two couples born in the 1980s with prior ranch work experience.
"The reaction to this job posting is a sign of China's labor market, where competition is fierce and rewards are scant," said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING. "Urban jobs are becoming less attractive, and the positions themselves are becoming scarce."
