China's massive short video and livestreaming sector has continued to expand, with the number of professional hosts surpassing 15 million in 2023. SINGAPORE: For four hours daily, Ms Qian Yongjing gets in front of a camera in her Shenzhen office and lays out how to excel at the workplace through good communication and high emotional intelligence.
Her team at Homeland, a Shenzhen-based content creation company she founded in 2015, went through much trial and error during the first two years of the transition. They needed to master the use of an online platform for conducting lessons and to analyse the demands of the online market. But this could soon change as China looks to give livestreamers the formal nod along with more than a dozen other occupations - most linked to high-tech industries.More than 40 per cent of mainland internet users considered short videos and live streams as their “primary consumption channel”, according to a 2023 survey by the state-run China Netcasting Services Association.
While some expressed scepticism, most of the comments were positive. An unofficial Sina News poll on Weibo revealed that 57 per cent of 1,756 respondents view livestreaming as a lucrative profession. The ministry defines a livestream host as a person engaged in real-time broadcasting or interactive services through means such as audio, video, and graphic information. There are also seven listed job scopes, including scripting broadcast content.are set to enter China’s workforce this year. Livestreaming has a reputation as one of the jobs with a lower barrier to entry.
When unveiling the latest planned additions last month, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that recognising new occupations can further enhance the professional sense of belonging of practitioners, allow them to benefit from relevant national policies while also enhancing employment.
There is also a more practical reason at play. “When the occupation becomes legit, the authorities will monitor tax collection more closely,” he said. This year, the Chinese government aims to create over 12 million new jobs in urban areas and keep the urban surveyed unemployment rate at around 5.5 per cent. The two targets are similar to those set last year.
Ms Qian, the livestreamer based in Shenzhen, believes the move could improve the overall quality of livestream hosts as they will be subject to tighter regulations and requirements.