Greener pasture of a shepherd’s life lures Chinese workers penned in by ‘996’ jobs

A Chinese farm owner’s recruitment drive for shepherds has ended in success after his job advert seeking people to work on his Inner Mongolia ranch went viral, drawing the attention of city dwellers struggling to find work and highlighting growing strains in China’s labour market. Zuo Xiaoyong posted an advert on Chinese social media in late April seeking two shepherds, preferably a couple, to take 3,000 sheep out to graze on a 2,000ha pasture in the summer. The shepherds would also undertake indoor feeding and cleaning during the winter when temperatures can drop below -30C at his ranch roughly 300km from Xilinhot city, near the Mongolian border. The advert stated that the shepherds would be paid 8,000 yuan (around £880/US$1,180) each per month and have their accommodation and groceries provided. That salary is well above China’s national urban average for private company employees of roughly 6,000 yuan. “The salary is high, but whether you can work long-term and get through the winter is what matters most,” Zuo told Reuters. “This is not tourism.” Featuring a video of sheep frolicking in green pastures, the simple advert drew a huge response on social media when it was posted, garnering around 59m views on Weibo, China’s equivalent of X. Zuo told Reuters that more than 700 people applied for the two positions. …