New Occupation Population

by Li Zhuoxi

An emerging group， the new occupation population refers to those who are engaged in new service professions which have been created in response to recent social development trends in Chinas big cities.

A 2018 survey on working and living conditions of those people showed that the academic background of the new occupation population is generally high， with more than 60 percent of them holding a college degree or above. However， nearly 35 percent of those in new types of occupations earn more than 8，000 yuan （about US$1，160） a month. The top three new professions by revenue were veterinarians， fitness coaches and bartenders. Nearly 29 percent of veterinarians earn a monthly income of more than 20，000 yuan （US$2，905）.

Many highly skilled employees are devoted to these new occupations， which has improved the social status and identity of the new occupation population. As a result， workers tend to stay longer in the new occupations. Meanwhile， thanks to the development and progress of social concepts， young peoples attitudes toward employment are gradually contrasting traditional public perspectives. For example， a large number of women are involved in occupations such as veterinary medicine， interior design and automobile customization， while more men have started becoming nurses， early childhood educators， beauticians， cosmeticians and other traditionally“feminine” occupations. In the future， the gender labels of new occupations will

continue to fade.