Lazy economy brings more new opportunities to migrant workers in China

The “lazy economy”, an economic phenomenon characterized by hyper-convenient products and services, has led to the emergence of a number of new professions in China, bringing new opportunities for migrant workers.

Driven by an upgrading of Chinese consumption behavior, the lazy economy involves consumers’ needs for a wide variety of services such as delivery, makeup and manicures. Demand for chef services, for example, stood out during this year’s Spring Festival.

An employee packs food for an online order at a Burger King store in east China's Shanghai, April 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

Delivery was a popular choice for workers from rural China seeking jobs in cities. Wang Yue from a rural area in Weifang city, east China’s Shandong Province, has worked as a deliveryman for three years. Taking on average 30 minutes to deliver an order, he completes just under 20 orders a day, and earns a monthly income of over 8,000 yuan (about $1,181.6).

Born after 1985, he said most of his colleagues were above 40 when he just got into the delivery industry, but nowadays more young people are opting for this occupation as it is easy to learn, and has a flexible work schedule.

Similarly, Huang Feng, born in the 1990s, works in the domestic service industry. “I used to work as a waitress in a restaurant, then I learnt about the huge demand for domestic services, so I got into this industry,” she said. To better perform her tasks and meet her clients’ needs, she acquired skills such as cleaning kitchen hoods and underground heating systems, and has been highly rated by her clients.

Statistics show that the average salary of the domestic service sector has been continually increasing. The salary in the sector averaged 6,972 yuan in 2021, up by 21.2 percent year on year. Most workers in the sector are rural women, with the majority being above the age of 40.

The rise of the lazy economy reflects the progress of society, as well as consumers’ pursuit of a better life. It has provided not only convenience for consumers, but has also helped stimulate precise social division of labor and transformation of consumption. To grasp the opportunities provided by the lazy economy, some domestic companies have diversified into new services.

“Take cleaning as an example. Apart from the conventional house cleaning services, our company now also offers new services such as acarid cleaning services and home appliance disinfecting services, and will develop more services such as child rearing, nutrition, and health care,” explained Liu Tao, an executive of a domestic service company based in Qingdao city, east China’s Shandong Province.

Liu also admitted that some workers in the domestic service sector lack the necessary skills. “Our company has strengthened systematic training and exercise for them and given them the knowledge they need,” he said.