Job shortage in China sees ‘full-time children’ carry out chores for parents

A job shortage in China has led to fully-grown adults working as "full time children", carrying out chores for their parents in exchange for a wage.

After the pandemic shuttered small business across the world, some in Hong Kong are using their roots as a way to raise some funds.

Their new line of work has seen the likes of Jia Zhang work as a "full time child" to her parents, who pay her to do household chores or take them to the supermarket.

READ MORE: Asteroid the size of world's third tallest building to crash into Earth's orbit next week

Zhang, a mother of two, has said she struggled to balance a full time job with the care of her parents.

Explaining her new line of work, Zhang said: "My job is to spend time with my parents — for example, taking them to grocery stores — and do some household chores.

"Also, if my parents want to go out, I would make plans in advance, taking them to various stores."

The new craze has seen #FullTimeDaughter and #FullTimeSon trend on Chinese social media apps, with parents hiring their kids to do housework and be on hand to help them out with whatever they need, NBC reported.

More than 4,000 full time children are now gathering on Douban, an IMDB-like website which collates the currently employed children at an average of £868 a month.

• 

  Putin wants North Korea pal Kim Jong-un to give Russia weapons to boost Ukraine war

Another full-time daughter who remained anonymous added: "My parents give me money without interfering with my life. I am extremely happy every day."

But an assistant professor worries the term for employment will lead to some deep psychological damage as people revert into accepting money wherever they can, and it may "glorify" the new role.

Assistant professor Lu Xi said: "Compared to previous years, young people who are now unemployed and stayed at home to study for exams have less confidence that they will succeed in their exam preparation and job hunting.

"Psychologically, the term ‘full-time children’ allows room for denial and self-deprecation, which make it more acceptable to many."

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

Source: Read Full Article