Recently, with the continual downturn of the Chinese economy, it has become increasingly difficult for people to find employment. According to a report by Guangdong Television on April 8th, 12 job seekers from Guangdong spent a total of 300,000 yuan (RMB) in intermediary fees to become high-speed rail security inspectors, only to discover upon starting their jobs that they were actually part of a labor dispatch service. They often worked over 16 hours a day and received a monthly salary of only 2,500 yuan.
Many residents of Yangchun, Guangdong reported that they, along with over ten others, paid local intermediaries to become high-speed rail security inspectors, with intermediary fees ranging from 30,000 to 45,000 yuan. After starting the job, they found out that their salary was only 2,500 yuan. The job seekers signed labor contracts with the Beijing Tiebao Zhongtai security service company’s Shenzhen Futian branch, where the actual daily working hours often exceeded 16 hours.
Several security inspectors who had paid the fees revealed that their intermediary, Zhou and Zhang, introduced them to the job. Under Zhou and Zhang, there were also lower-level “middlemen” responsible for recruiting business.
According to media analysis, Zhou, through several local intermediaries in Yangchun, collected intermediary fees from at least 12 job seekers, totaling more than 300,000 yuan. The case has been transferred to the Yangchun Chuncheng police station, but Yangchun police have not responded to inquiries about whether a case has been opened.
On March 31st, Guangdong Television reported that in Yangchun, intermediaries claimed that paying money to make connections could lead to a high-speed rail security inspector position with promised high salaries and benefits. Job seekers were asked to pay up to 28,000 yuan. However, upon starting the job, they discovered their monthly salary was only 1,750 yuan, with false training, high work intensity, and daily working hours close to 16 hours. The company involved was Zhengzhou Tieying security and inspection services Shenzhen branch, with a complicated intermediary chain and no way to request refunds. Several individuals have reported the incidents to the Yunfu Xinxing and Yangchun police, but no cases have been filed.
Yangchun City is a county-level city under the administration of Yangjiang City.
On April 8th, the topic tagged “12 people spending 300,000 for a 2,500 monthly salary high-speed rail job” trended on Baidu and Weibo.
Netizens commented, “Finding a job seems to be difficult as these twelve people collectively spent three hundred thousand, which was surprising. They probably did not expect the job to only pay 2,500 in salary.”
“Behind this, lies people’s deep obsession with a ‘secure job.’ For many, having a stable and predictable job is more important than anything else. Even with a meager salary, as long as there is stability, it is considered respectable and secure without the fear of unemployment risks… This also reflects the current job market’s anxiety. With fierce job competition today and phenomena like the workplace crisis hitting 35-year-olds, people are feeling anxious. Faced with the fear of not finding a job, many individuals would rather sacrifice upfront costs to secure what seems like a stable position.”
“In the current economic downturn, not only is it difficult to find a job, but even if one is secured, it is challenging to maintain long-term stability. It is precisely due to this anxiety that these individuals are resorting to desperate measures…”
“In our small county towns, spending around 50,000 yuan to work as a labor dispatch in a large organization is common. Many people do it, earning a monthly salary of 1,500 yuan, getting paid every six months, and contributing to social security. Although it is temporary work, as long as there are no large-scale layoffs, it can be a long-term arrangement…”
“It is quite normal. Back when I graduated, my mom was even willing to spend 300,000 to help me secure a job with a salary of 1,800 and a stable position.”