“It seems ordinary people are having a hard time finding work”, he added.

A Tough Market

Official unemployment in China remains just above 5%, but underemployment has been rising and wage growth in the private sector has lagged behind broader economic growth for much of the past decade.

Many workers complain about the so-called “996” culture – working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

James Guo, a 21-year-old factory worker who applied for the position, said he was exhausted by his job at a shipping container plant.

“You have no idea what it's like to work more than 13 hours a day, fastening screws until your hands are swollen and covered in blisters, without even having time to go to the bathroom”, he said. “The workload is too intense, I can't take it anymore.”

Economists expect labor-market pressures to intensify as manufacturers face higher costs, artificial intelligence reshapes workplaces and a record 12.7 million university graduates enter the job market this summer.

The reaction to Zuo's ad was “symptomatic of what continues to be a highly competitive and often low-rewarding labor market“, said Lynn Song, chief China economist at ING.

An Unusual Opportunity

The positions involved tending 3,000 sheep on a 2,000-hectare pasture during the summer and caring for the animals through harsh winters, when temperatures can fall below -30C.

In return, each worker would earn 8,000 yuan ($1,178) per month, significantly above the average salary in China’s urban private sector. Accommodation and meals were also included.

According to Shaun Rein of the China Market Research Group, many master’s degree holders in Shanghai earn similar wages but face far higher living costs.

“The salary is high, but whether you can work long-term and get through the winter is what matters most”, Cuo said. “This is not tourism.”

The “Curse of 35“

Cuo said roughly half of all applicants were born in the 1990s, placing them in the demographic affected by what Chinese workers call the “curse of 35” – the widespread perception that employers increasingly avoid hiring workers over that age.

“We are seeing the ‘curse of 35‘ move from a tech-sector meme to a broader economic reality”, said Christian Yao, an associate professor of human resource management at Victoria University of Wellington.

One applicant, a 28-year-old e-commerce employee identified only by her surname, Wu, said she was tempted by the prospect of leaving city life behind.

“I want to escape city life and stop dealing with all kinds of difficult people”, she said. “I could enjoy a peaceful, secluded life away from the world.”

In the end, Cuo hired four herders – two couples who had previously worked on the farm. Despite maintaining a waiting list of around 40 additional couples, he said he would not consider inexperienced urban applicants.

“In our place, you might not see people for a whole year”, he said. “Whether someone can endure such loneliness, I don't know.”

(reuters, im)