THE prospect of change is often terrifying, especially when it involves starting out from scratch. But for Annie Cheng, the overnight transition from social work to real-estate management was relatively painless.
Ms Cheng quit her job in late 1996 to travel across China. Assuming she would have no trouble picking up where she left off, she took a half-year break only to return to a sliding job market and the realisation she could not simply resume her career.
Instead of waiting for work to materialise, she took a chance and applied for a position at a property-management company as an administrative officer.
The 30-year-old is now better off than many who have found themselves among the ranks of the unemployed. Apart from bringing home a monthly pay packet - albeit one that is 30 to 40 per cent slimmer than before - she says she is learning new skills as well as making use of old ones.
'I don't think it's a waste of my past training,' says Ms Cheng, who asks that her real name not be used. 'What I acquired in the past mostly concerned how to deal with people. That can be applied to my present job.' Her response to the bleak employment situation is just one of the many positive ways people are coping with the downturn.
Others are making the most of the slowdown to equip themselves with new skills they hope will put them at the front of the job-seeking queue in the long run.
To increase his chances of employment, Lok Hang has been learning Chinese word processing at home since his main source of income dried up three months ago.