Himalayan News Service

Beijing, January 3:

Nearly 40 per cent of urban employees in China work as freelancers in a country where people used to have only one job throughout their life, reports Xinhua.

China has more than 100 million freelancers, says Wang Dongjin, vice-minister of labour and social security. Freelancers are in various professions — both white and blue collar — including lawyers, writers, journalists, translators, maids, labour contractors who sell their service on temporary terms, says Wang.

For decades, Chinese considered the workplace as a second home. Once they chose a job, they would stay on the job for life. People without stable jobs were frequently looked down upon. The trend of surging freelancers, though diversifying the job market, has led to frequent job changes and a large numbers of people working without written contracts with their employers.