Livestreaming playing vital role in expanding employment

Several weeks ago, I had an opportunity to interview some young entrepreneurs of the post-1995 generation who had returned to their hometowns to start new businesses after graduation, leveraging short-video livestreaming platforms to sell agricultural products.

Yan Linying, born in 1997, from Binchuan county of Dali, Yunnan province, was among those who impressed me the most.

The local specialty of her hometown is purple single-headed garlic, with an annual cultivation area reaching 10,000 mu (666.7 hectares).

This kind of garlic is unique for its single bulb structure and mild flavor, and has a slightly sweet taste, making it a versatile ingredient in many dishes. However, its sales were poor as few people were familiar with such produce.

Yan told me that after graduation, she started livestreaming on a short-video platform to peddle specialties from her hometown. With simple lighting equipment and a mobile phone, Yan and three others sat in a warehouse filled with sundries to sell farm products initially.

At present, sales of the purple single-headed garlic reach nearly 100 metric tons each day, greatly helping local villagers increase their incomes.

Yan said there are more than 30 people in her team, covering multiple positions such as livestreaming hosts, customer services, operations, warehousing and procurement.

They can even drive employment for at least 100 young people every year through training, she added.

Livestreaming e-commerce — the practice of promoting products via live online broadcasts — is playing an increasingly vital role in expanding employment, promoting rural vitalization and contributing to regional economic growth.

According to a report released by the China Institute for Employment and Welfare Studies at Renmin University of China, short-video and livestreaming platforms have effectively addressed the employment issues of key groups, including migrant workers, university graduates, people with disabilities and low-income groups, through diversified employment support programs and innovative models.

These platforms provide these groups with equal employment opportunities and career development paths through livestreaming recruitment, skills training and entrepreneurship support, significantly promoting the inclusive growth of the social economy, the report said.

It noted that if the gross merchandise value from livestreaming e-commerce increases by 100 million yuan ($13.9 million), approximately 1,200 new jobs will be created.

A livestreaming room can generate more than 30 new occupations and create a large number of jobs in the upstream and downstream industry chains, a study from the research institute of the China International Electronic Commerce Center showed.

The new professions include livestreaming hosts, video analysts, video editors and cost assessors, while new jobs related to the operation of livestreaming rooms include the selection of products, video script planning, content production and data traffic allocation.

Wen Miao, another entrepreneur from the post-1995 generation, told me that she is one of the beneficiaries of new occupations on digital platforms. Wen is in charge of "adjusting" the atmosphere in a livestreaming room.

In this new occupation that is unheard of in the traditional job market, she not only needs to liven up the atmosphere in the livestreaming room, but also debug the equipment, maintain order and analyze data. In a mere six months, she sold more than 10,000 agricultural products through livestreaming.

Data from market consultancy iResearch show that the revenue of China's livestreaming e-commerce sector reached 5.8 trillion yuan last year, with a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent projected between 2024 and 2026.

Industry experts said online platforms have provided relatively equal opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, ordinary creators and skilled talent to earn incomes, and contributed to the formulation of relevant professional standards and the implementation of vocational training related to new occupations.

Zhou Guangsu, deputy director of the China Institute for Employment and Welfare Studies at Renmin University of China, said, as a typical representative of the digital economy, the rapid development of short-video platforms not only plays a significant part in promoting economic growth, but also has a profound impact on employment through its diverse business forms.

Through livestreaming e-commerce, these platforms have given rise to new employment opportunities and provided more job positions and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth, Zhou said.