The job also marks the latest of several moves he has had to make in the past four years. In that time he has worked in several cities including Nanjing, Beijing and now, Shanghai.

His first job, also his longest, was for a State-owned enterprise producing communication products and lasted one year.

His last job, also his shortest, was in designing web pages and lasted three months.

"I'm not the most frequent changer of jobs in this industry," Yang said. "Working in IT companies, I have become accustomed to welcoming new colleagues today and to seeing them off the next month.

"I have always been in a turbulent situation, and no job gives me a feeling of stability."

In sharp contrast with Yang, Wendy, a lawyer in the Shanghai branch of a Beijing-based big law firm, dared not ask for half a day's leave to go to hospital when she was suffering from a serious cold and cough.

"The boss wants us to work 24 hours a day and you would be crazy to ask for leave for illness," said Wendy. So she would work until midnight and dose herself with medicine she brought to work.

"It's not easy to get a suitable position nowadays. The boss can easily replace you with someone from the lines of applicants waiting outside the door for your position," said Wendy.

No security

Daniel Bian, chief consultant of the Canada-based Career Consultant Company said: "Nowadays, there is no job that can be called absolutely secure in China because the society is changing so rapidly.

"Everyone should expect to face fluctuating change in their careers."

Career crisis is no longer a rare occurrence for Shanghainese in a society dominated by a market economy. According to a survey of 2,100 individuals by the consultant company, about 85 per cent said they had already been through a career crisis.

More than half said the crisis arose from worry about their capability to carry on with their job. The remainder said they felt they would not be able to advance themselves in their current positions or within their companies.

China had 30 years of a socialist planned economy when employees mostly worked for one unit once they were assigned a job. They seldom had the freedom or the need to change jobs.

That situation changed when a market economy was introduced into China two decades ago together with the concepts of competition and efficiency.

After China became a member of the World Trade Organization, the Chinese social structure underwent rapid and massive change. Many industries experienced a period of violent turbulence when suddenly exposed to global competition.

In Shanghai, on China's economic frontier, the impact of that competition is more obvious. With such a background, job crisis has become quite common, said Bian.

Hard-hit industries

Among all industries, employees in "new economy" enterprises, especially in information technology, have the strongest sense of being in career crisis. The turmoil in the fast-growing IT industry means that employees have to work very hard to hold their positions.

One employee in the field, Robert Xiang, said: "In taking this job, one should always be worried that his place might be taken by a newcomer. Individuals should try hard to keep abreast of the latest developments but it's hard because one can't cover the whole industry."

In recent years, readjustment of China's traditional manufacturing industry and the merger of enterprises led to large numbers of employees losing their jobs. Now that merging small or middle-sized enterprises into giant ones is the global trend, Chinese enterprises and international companies in China are following suit.

Andy Li felt that he had a new lease on life after the merger of Bell and Alcatel last July. "But rumors began to spread right after the merger and every ordinary employee had a phobia about being suddenly kicked out," Li recalled.

In Li's department, more than 15 per cent of employees had left the new company by the end of last year but the situation was worse in other departments.

"The survivors are fortunate but, on the other hand, we are more aware of job crises ahead," Li said.

In government departments, civil servants are also under pressure. Chen Hai has worked in a district government as a secretary after graduating in law but his work has nothing to do with his major.

"I dare not think about my future career, if this is the kind of career I am going to have," said Chen. "My college classmates are improving themselves in their jobs but I may become jobless with my out-of-the-date knowledge."

A few years ago, teaching was a favoured profession for graduates wanting a stable career. But one teacher, Coco, working in a middle school, also sensed that teaching was no longer a haven from the troubles.

On the one hand, student numbers are decreasing rapidly because of the national family planning policy. On the other hand, the operation of the school is connected with the demands of market. Coco is wondering whether to stay at school competing with colleagues or to leave and find a new career.

Managing the crisis

Experts predict that the phenomenon of career crisis will spread. The petro-chemical, telecommunications and other large-scale monopolized state-owned enterprises will face the problem first. They will be followed by enterprises engaged in "old" industries which have been enjoying a monopoly position.

Some "new economy" enterprises under rapid readjustment, including bio-medicine and computer hardware, will also be affected.

"Career crisis is the symptom of the general adoption of market principles in the talent market and in individuals," said Clare Wang, a career consultant.

There is no "iron rice bowl" in the labour market. Employees should always be willing to change and to improve their knowledge to meet the market's requirements.

Andy Li spent all his weekends and holidays to work towards a master's degree in engineering, which he believes saved him when staff cutting began.

Wendy, the lawyer in the Shanghai branch of a big law firm, is spending all her savings, plus a huge bank loan she has obtained, to study law abroad.

"About half of my colleagues in this law firm have overseas experience and overseas study is of essential importance to my career and it's the best way to deal with career crisis," she said.

(Shanghai Star January 17, 2003)