China’s economy continues to slump, with major companies frequently laying off employees and cutting salaries, making 35 a “curse”. On March 17, the topic labeled “County Hospital offering 1750 yuan monthly salary for security guards under 35 years old” surged to the top of trending topics on Weibo.
Recently, a netizen from Jiangsu posted that a county people’s hospital in Heilongjiang issued recruitment information requiring temporary security guards to be “under 35 years old, with at least a college diploma”, offering a basic salary of 1750 yuan.
According to Upstream News on March 17, on March 13, Tailai County People’s Hospital in Qiqihar city released a recruitment notice for temporary security guards, specifying that applicants must be under 35 years old (born after January 1, 1990), have at least a college degree, be over 1.7 meters tall, proficient in computer operation, with a monthly salary of 1750 yuan plus performance bonuses, while the performance bonuses for temporary security guards are around two to three hundred yuan.
On the morning of the 17th, a reporter from Upstream News learned from the hospital that the recruitment information was true. The high requirements for temporary positions were set to reduce competition pressure and facilitate the screening process. Currently, there are 3 applicants with no interviews conducted yet. “There are still people coming to inquire, some may have seen the information later.” The salary complies with Heilongjiang province’s minimum wage standards.
The recruitment information quickly became a hot topic on Weibo.
Financial blogger and Weibo influencer “FinancialHatGuy” commented: “Heilongjiang County Hospital offering 1750 yuan monthly salary for security guards, requiring ‘under 35 with a college degree’? Key response: true, three people have applied. Ouch! With a college degree and under 35, competing for a security guard position paying 1750 yuan, after studying so hard for years, is this what it has come to?”
Financial blogger and Weibo influencer “TianjinStockHero” commented: “If you are over 35, you can’t even work as a security guard!” Investment content creator and Weibo influencer “wu2198” posted: “You will find out that you don’t even qualify to be a security guard!”
Internet technology blogger and Weibo influencer “DiscussingImmediately” expressed discomfort, saying: “This situation makes me very uncomfortable. Offering a monthly salary of 1750 yuan for under 35 years old, on the surface, it appears to be just a recruitment notice for a county hospital security guard position, but it touches on the sore points of many people: low wages, age discrimination, employment pressure… The contrast between low wages and high requirements is concentrated on the security guard position, which is low-skilled and entry-level work.
A monthly salary of 1750 yuan is not enough to support a family anywhere, and it may even pose challenges for basic living. What’s even more speechless is that the employer also requires applicants to be under 35, have a college degree, be over 170cm tall, and even be proficient in computer operations…
The reality is that the existence of such low-wage positions reflects the imbalance between supply and demand in the labor market under downward pressure, especially in resource-dependent regions like Heilongjiang. With a single industrial structure and insufficient economic vitality in these areas, the salary levels for many positions have been low for a long time. In this situation, young people can still strive to find opportunities, but what about middle-aged individuals? What should they do?”