China's 'ant tribe' searches for better future
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Lian, also an associate professor with the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics, predicts an increasingly challenging job market will see the ant tribe grow.
The number of graduates, aged 22 to 29, has been growing since China greatly expanded its university enrollment over the past decade. According to the Ministry of Education's statistics, the number of college graduates has jumped from 1.07 million in 2000 to 6.11 million in 2009.
Another 6.3 million graduates will join migrant workers and other job hunters in what promises to be a fierce labor competition this year.
On top of poor living conditions, the "ant tribe" also contends with a lack of social security in Beijing, where the official average monthly salary was about 4,000 yuan (586 U.S. dollars) in 2008. The average "ant tribe" member earns only half that.
As in the case of Yang, marriage, for now at least, does not seem to be an option for the "ant tribe", about 93 percent of whom remain single, Lian estimates.
Soaring housing prices and rents drive them to cheap rooms of up to 10 square meters each in villages like Tangjialing. The monthly rent for a single room downtown could be at least 2,000 yuan, a month's earnings for the ant tribe.
Cheap accommodation means a long and crowded journey to and from work, however. As only six bus routes link Tangjialing to downtown Beijing, a workday begins by wedging oneself into a congested vehicle.
"It's hard work getting on the bus," says Yang, who works for a software company in Zhongguancun, often referred to as China's "Silicon Valley."
For him and many other young and struggling migrant graduates, the pursuit of urban dream is the only way to a better life for their families back home. Trekking back to their rural communities is tantamount to an admission of their failure in big cities.
Determined to achieve their urban dreams, the "ants" switch jobs twice a year on average for better pay and personal development. Yang says he himself has changed jobs for "numerous" times in the past three years and is considering another quitting now.
He is optimistic about getting a higher-paying job soon, having received eight interview offers in a week after he sent out his resume.
The prospect of landing a higher-paying job keeps him hopeful of moving out of Tangjialing soon.
"If you cannot improve, it is meaningless to stay at the village. Others living outside the village will look down on you," he says. "I hope I can leave soon, the sooner the better, but that, again, needs money."
"A fellow upstairs stayed here for three years," Yang adds with obvious envy. "Then he bought a home downtown after he was promoted to a department manager.
"I've set a timetable. If I can't improve my situation within three years, I will return to my hometown."
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