New professions breathe fresh life into careers of individuals

At 7 a.m., Da Fei (pseudonym) was already zipping around the hospital, juggling various documents. At 28 years old, Da Fei works as a medical companion in Beijing. Despite dosage and usage instructions being clearly labeled on the medication packaging, Da Fei still patiently explained the doctor's instructions to the patients.

Da Fei, a medical companion in Beijing, explains the doctor's dosage and usage instructions to a patient. (People's Daily Online/Ren Yan)

In recent years, new professions such as medical companions have emerged to meet the evolving needs of the society, offering people a wider range of career options.

"I used to work as a programmer for six years. However, now I'm a medical companion. This change has allowed me to have greater control over my schedule, and enjoy more flexibility and freedom," said Da Fei.

Since transitioning to this occupation over a year ago, Da Fei has noticed an increasing demand for medical companionship and receives orders for such services almost daily.

He said as the aging population becomes more challenging, medical companionship services will become essential. These services not only fulfill the needs of adult children to care for their elderly parents during medical visits but also present new growth opportunities for Da Fei who has successfully transitioned into this emerging industry.

Da Fei accompanies a patient to a hospital for an appointment with the doctor. (People's Daily Online/Ren Yan)

Behind Da Fei lies China's vast flexible employment market. A growing number of job positions, including deliverymen, ride-hailing drivers, and live streamers, are emerging, providing people with a broader array of employment options.

"Vocational skills training not only guided my life path but also transformed my destiny," said Zhang Qiang, an electrical automation student at Lyuliang Advanced Technical School in Lyuliang city, north China's Shanxi Province.

"In junior high school, I struggled with academic subjects, but I had a keen interest in practical skills. After graduating, I realized that acquiring technical skills would pave the way for a promising future," said Zhang.

Zhang Qiang, who is majoring in electrical automation at Lyuliang Advanced Technical School in Lyuliang city, north China's Shanxi Province, receives skills training. (Photo/Gao Leilei)

After studying at the school for over two years, Zhang has achieved remarkable success. He emerged as the champion in the 3rd Vocational Skills Competition in Lyuliang city and the 4th Vocational Skills Competition in Shanxi Province, and secured a place in the 2nd Vocational Skills Competition of China.

"The skills competitions have transformed my life. They have instilled in me a sense of worth and gave me greater recognition and respect," Zhang expressed.

In recent years, China has placed great emphasis on the cultivation of highly-skilled talent. The country has introduced guidelines in this aspect and enhanced training, utilization, evaluation, and incentive systems.

27-year-old Lang Jiaziyu graduated from the School of Arts at Peking University. He is the third-generation inheritor of the craft of making dough figurines, a national intangible cultural heritage, as well as a short video creator on social media platforms.

Lang Jiaziyu has gained significant attention for the art of making dough figurines through live-streams and short videos. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Upon Lang's graduation from college, his father disapproved of his decision to pursue dough figurine art as a profession. "With your abilities, you can secure a respectable job. I'm concerned that it may be challenging for you to sustain yourself with this choice," his father said.

However, Lang believed that if dough figurine art can evolve into a stable profession with a favorable environment, then all the challenges will be overcome.

After graduating, Lang established his own studio. Recognizing the potential of livestreams and short videos, he harnessed their power to attract a larger audience and promote the art of dough figurines. In doing so, he also explored various avenues for artisans to monetize their skills.

"The digital economy has created new professions and vast employment opportunities," said Professor Yang Xuhua from the School of Labor Economics at Capital University of Economics and Business.

The digital economy serves as both a stabilizing force and an accelerator for national economic growth. It has a beneficial effect on employment, resulting in the creation of new jobs, overall employment expansion and enhanced job quality.

Moreover, the digital economy has brought about new employment patterns, including flexible employment, platform-based jobs, human-machine collaboration and entrepreneurship, according to Yang.