The "ant tribe"
If you are a university graduate born in the 1980s, work at an unstable job that pays less than 2,000 yuan per month, live in a cheap shared apartment in the suburbs and spend over two hours a day travelling to and from work, then you officially belong to the "ant tribe."
According to a survey made by Lian Si, associate professor at the University of International Business and Economics, more than 80% of the ant tribe comes from rural areas. Their monthly salaries averaged a paltry 1,904 yuan ($295) in 2010.
Fu Lijun, an English graduate from a private college in Haikou, Hainan Province, works at a local exhibition company with a humble salary.
"Because I am from a private school, it is very hard to find a decent job," said Fu. "My current monthly salary is only 1,500 yuan ($232). After I pay my water and electricity bills (300 yuan), rent and food (500 yuan), mobile and Internet bills (150 yuan), and transportation costs (120 yuan), I barely have anything for savings."
26-year-old Wang Xiaoling found a job in Beijing after graduation with a monthly salary of about 2,200 yuan ($340). Because of rising rents she now shares a small room with several others that is only large enough for two beds and a wardrobe.
"I am from a village in Henan Province. My family is very poor. It was already a heavy burden for my parents to pay my college tuition," said Wang, who had thought a college education would change her life, only to find that reality was much crueler.
Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that the number of university graduates will reach 7 million during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan period. However, with an employment rate of 80%, many young adults are forced to take unstable jobs, resulting in a growing numbers of "ants."
It is urgent to improve the social insurance and employment rate of the ant tribe, stressed Yin Yungong, director of the Journalism and Communication Graduate School at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Because these poor students are very self-important, once their dreams are broken they may place the blame on society, which could lead to severe consequences.
