Oli Royce, FREELANCE, Product and Design Consultant

Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post" article on October 17th, original title: Is this China's "Great Resignation"? Freelancers struggling to escape the drudgery of working from nine to five find both hope and uncertainty. As China's work environment becomes more stressful and competitive, Zheng Lizhu's career aspirations for designers have changed. "Industry competition and anxiety make me unbearable. I work like a machine every day." In her 30 year old view, devoting her life to the company is not a "fair deal.". Finally, she quit her job, "Now as a freelance designer, I can control my time and work style.". In China, as some working people try to regain control of their time and freedom, while not completely divorced from society, practices like Zheng's are becoming increasingly common.

In the post epidemic environment, global employment has taken on new forms, and the changes in China have taken place more profoundly. With a stronger sense of self, Gen Z in China is more eager to try new things and find jobs that make them feel more fulfilling - often more flexible, rather than always maintaining a full-time model. Compared to parents who aspire to a stable job, they believe that they do not need a formal job or regular occupation to make a living. Nowadays, more and more people are joining the freelance labor force and shaking the job market.

In the past, freelancers mostly needed professional skills such as writing, photography, art, and accounting. However, the rapid development of China's digital economy in recent years has spawned a series of new professions, including anchors, couriers, and so on. Many changes have taken place in just a few years. In 2016, LinkedIn reported that there are about 30 million freelancers in China, and this year there are more than 200 million flexible employees in China. Of course, freelancers also face pressure from income instability. However, China's digital economy, which covers almost all walks of life, provides a platform for entrepreneurship and self-made people who neither choose insiders nor refuse to "lie flat.".

Enterprises are also increasingly accepting flexible employment personnel. In 2020, more than 55% of Chinese enterprises will adopt flexible employment. As flexible employment has become a powerful component of China's economic engine, the central government has also taken measures to protect the rights and interests of flexible employees.

Miranda Wang, a former freelance photographer, said, "In the past, in order to change careers, people would have a job gap. Nowadays, the gap can be filled by various freelance professions... everything is possible. This is quite different from the era of staying in one place and doing one job for a lifetime."