China’s new Gen Z jobs reflect changing views on life and society, from pet morticians to ancient Chinese stylists

Pet dietitians, wardrobe organisers and esports players are also appealing new jobs that China’s youngest adults are embracing

A growing reluctance to have children, coupled with a rapidly ageing society, is making pets more popular among young and old people alike, and the related job sector is growing fast

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A small business in central China gives pets a traditional Hanfu look. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:30pm, 14 Aug 2021Updated: 11:29pm, 14 Aug 2021

The evolution of China’s economy and its job market has created new opportunities for young Chinese workers, many of whom are keen on avoiding the heavy pressure and dreary conditions that are often associated with traditional private-sector jobs.

And these new occupations are a telling sign of the changes in China’s economy, with an increasing focus on domestic culture. The trend also serves as a commentary on young people’s contemporary views on life and society.

Take Bai Ling, for example. She founded Mao’s Memory Castle in 2019 in Hangzhou to capitalise on the growing demand for pet funerals. The pet mortician pointed to two critical trends driving interest in her services: young Chinese people are becoming increasingly unwilling to have children, with many opting instead for pets. And also, the nation’s rapidly ageing society is resulting in elderly people acquiring more pets.

“Our main customers are single, white-collar workers who frequently work overtime … and ‘aunties’ in their sixties and seventies,” Bai said. “They treat their pets like a member of the family, even like a child. At our store in Hangzhou alone, we host more than 260 funerals for pets every month, which each costing about 1,400 yuan (US$216).”

The same year she started her business, the central government started releasing lists of new officially recognised occupations. These included drone pilots, delivery personnel for online orders, anti-epidemic workers, live-streaming retailers and blockchain engineer technicians.