150 million Internet broadcasters in China
Average income for most, less than 1 million won
While Chinese youth are struggling with enormous employment difficulties, 150 million people have jumped into the role of live commerce broadcasters (Labang), but the majority of them have an average monthly income of less than 1 million won.
On the 10th, Hongseong Newspaper cited the ‘Online Live Broadcasting and Short Video Industry Development Report’ jointly published by the China Performance Industry Association and others, and reported that as of the end of last year, the number of online broadcasting accounts in China exceeded 150 million, an increase of 7.1% compared to the previous year. reported.
According to this report, online broadcasting has emerged as a job preferred by young, highly educated people and the youth. However, the majority of people who make a living from live commerce have a monthly income of less than 5,000 yuan (about 930,000 won), and only 0.4% earn more than 100,000 yuan (about 19 million won) per month.
However, the reason why the number of live commerce hosts is rapidly increasing, especially among the younger generation, is because the market size is growing and the economic recession continued even after the quarantine was eased, with China’s youth unemployment rate reaching an all-time high and competition for jobs becoming more intense.
In this situation, the number of young people jumping into live commerce is increasing as there are a series of cases of ‘one shot’ and sitting on a cushion of money.
Their role model is Teacher Hwang, who worked as a kindergarten music teacher and became a star last May when a video of him teaching children’s songs to kindergarten students using cute movements went viral online. He earned 400,000 to 500,000 yuan (about 77 to 96 million won) from his first live broadcast, making him more than 10 times his annual salary.
Mr. Hwang initially worked as a kindergarten teacher on weekdays and was active as a content creator by working on video production and editing on weekends and after work. After the broadcast, Hwang reportedly quit his job as a kindergarten teacher to become a full-time streamer.
Mr. Hwang, who joined the MCN (Multiple Channel Network) agency that manages solo broadcast creators, is known to have earned 2 million yuan (approximately 384 million won) from just three broadcasts.
In response, netizens said, “Getting a job is as difficult as finding a star in the sky, and even if you find a job, you cannot escape from a tough life with a tight salary. Live commerce is a way to turn your life around when you get one chance without being restricted by anyone.” “It’s an attractive job,” they all agreed.
However, some point out that the reality of the live commerce industry is not as easy as expected and that one should be cautious about making it a full-time job. The media advised, “This industry is a place where it is not as easy to become rich as you think,” and “The income gap between the top and bottom is large, and only a very small number of people can succeed.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.