Beijing: Fiona Sea lost her job twice during the pandemic. First, COVID struck the travel industry in 2020, and this year China’s strict anti-virus measures have hit businesses in the world’s second-largest economy. China is the last major economy linked to the Zero Corona strategy. It exposes businesses and workers to the risk of sudden blockades, service sector freezes, and supply chain entanglements that are essential for factories to sell their goods.
As the country fights the worst outbreaks since 2020, the city’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed to its highest level in two years, and both blue-collar and white-collar workers are in pain. “Many places are said to not hire people over the age of 35,” said 38-year-old Shi, who pointed out the difficulty of returning to entry-level positions after managerial positions. She played a managing role in the hospitality industry in 2020, when the coronavirus stopped almost all travel as the government imposed restrictions on social distance and travel.
Two years later, the Beijingers realized they were in the same position after losing their job at a multinational corporation. “The pandemic makes it even more difficult … personnel are frozen in many places,” she told AFP. “I’m really worried.” Months of unpredictable COVID restrictions, such as snap lockdowns and strict travel restrictions, have hit dozens of cities, from the business center of Shanghai to Jillin in the northern part of the breadbasket. Gave.
According to a US Chamber of Commerce survey released this week, almost all respondents have reduced their earnings forecasts, but another survey states that 11% of European companies will shrink their operations in China to combat COVID. increase. Domestic companies are also tightening their drawstring purses. Ride-haling platform Caocao Chuxing has let go of its staff, with only 40% reported by Chinese media. According to the state outlet Legal Daily, some staff members of e-commerce giant Alibaba have also been asked to leave.
“The situation is tough”
This year, restrictions imposed to eradicate the outbreak of COVID are putting pressure on companies that are already working to slow down the economy and crack down on regulations on sectors such as real estate and technology. Bai, 27, told AFP that he had been fired by a US technology company preparing to end his business in China. “In a way, I saw it coming,” she said. “The Chinese business is losing money.” “This isn’t the first, not the last, to leave the Chinese market.” Beijing-based Bai has lost his job for a pandemic for the second time. He said. In 2020, she said she was released from a cruise ship operator because of her fears related to her nationality as the virus raged in China.
Andrea Zhang, 24, who was in charge of planning the event, said employers closed clothing stores in March and April, when outbreaks surged this year. “Our boss wanted to understand the situation in different stores (nationwide), but realized that he couldn’t because of quarantine requirements,” Zhang said. The company eventually closed its offline business and Zhang resigned. According to official figures, about 1.3 million entities canceled their business registration in China in March alone. This is a 24% year-on-year increase.
Observers do not expect authorities to leave the government, despite the economic affliction, as President Xi Jinping has repeatedly supported the government’s Zero-COVID strategy. However, that limitation makes the lives of some people unbearable. “Working from home has made the line between work and life even more blurry, especially in industries like us, known for overtime,” said a marketing tech company in Beijing. Nin, who only added, said.
A 26-year-old child usually quits his job around 11:00 pm. However, due to the surge in COVID cases, his time extended over the weekend past midnight after the capital ordered people in his district to stay home last month. “I was exhausted and quit my job,” Nin said. Since then, he has submitted over 200 job applications. Only three of these have been translated into job interviews. “The situation is tough,” Nin told AFP. “But we have to find a way to survive.” – AFP
