Sheep Herding Job China: How many people applied for just two sheep herding jobs in China? How much monthly salary and what facilities did Farmer Zuo offer to the herders? Which categories of people were included in those who applied for this job?
A job advertisement given by a farmer in China has become a top trend on social media. The farmer needed people to herd sheep in the remote and rugged grasslands of Mongolia’s southern region. More than 700 people applied for this vacancy for only two posts. Applicants include white-collar workers in big cities like Shanghai and Chongqing, factory workers in China and even university graduates. This incident shows how serious the problem of unemployment is not only in India but also in China.
Advertisement was given in April
The owner of the farm, named Zuo, had put out this advertisement for sheep herders in late April. Within hours it went viral on China’s social media platform Weibo and was viewed more than 59 million times. This shows how much pressure there is on China’s job market. “I didn’t expect it to go so viral,” Zuo said. He told that about 10% of those who applied are those who have recently graduated from the university. The rest are either burdened with debt, have lost their jobs in the industry or are fed up with office politics.
What is the salary of sheep herder?
Zuo stated in his advertisement that he was looking for shepherds who could graze 3,000 sheep in 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of grassland in the summer. At the same time, in winter, when the temperature drops below -30 degrees Celsius, they have to do the difficult work of feeding and cleaning the sheep inside the house. For this work, the herdsmen will receive a salary of 8,000 yuan (about $1,178) every month. Apart from this, accommodation and ration items will also be provided. This salary is higher than the national average salary (about 6,000 yuan) of people working in private companies. Perhaps that is why so many applications came.
Rising unemployment in China
The problem of unemployment is continuously increasing in China. Earnings in the private sector are at their lowest level in the last ten years. Both blue- and white-collar workers are troubled by the ‘996’ culture, which requires them to work 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. Factories’ costs are rising due to the Iran war and jobs are being lost due to the adoption of AI. This year, a record 12.7 million university graduates will enter the job market, which could make the situation even more difficult. China’s 5% economic growth is also largely dependent on increasing exports. Due to this, manufacturing companies are reducing their profits to gain market share across the world, which is directly putting pressure on the employees of the country.