社会全体に広がる危機感 専門家「さらなる影響も懸念」

In recent years, the Chinese authorities' economic policies have shattered the dreams of high-income people and lost their desire to work, creating a crisis. Experts say that this phenomenon is likely to lead to a further social crisis in the second half of the year. According to Bloomberg, the 43-year-old director of a health care company in Shanghai, Thomas Wu, has recently lost his mind. As part of the reduction in payments by state-owned financial companies underway nationwide, his salary was reduced by 20%. He is also worried about being fired by the company, and is struggling with the anxiety of how to produce 600,000 yuan to continue to send his two children to international schools. In China, it is said that sending children to international schools is an important status symbol for the middle class. The recent economic policies launched by Xi Jinping have changed the lives of millions of Chinese experts and high-income people. Wu is one of them. Since 2000, the financial, technology, and real estate industries have become a major driving force for China's economic growth. Until 2022, about 8 million people were employed in the financial industry alone, providing high salaries. However, these industries are no longer in the hands of the Chinese authorities, and are out of the government's priority list. Chinese leaders have invested their resources in the fields of electric cars and semiconductor chip manufacturing. Bloomberg interviewed a dozen employees in the financial services industry and other industries that are out of the hands of the Chinese authorities. They said they are facing difficulties. Many people have a delusion of appreciation for the reduction in payments and expenses, and have an even richer lifestyle. As a result, they emphasize the pressure on social media. Mr. Sharon Cao, the head of the investment company, said that there is a negative atmosphere in the industry as a whole. She said, Sleeping pills are my best friend. There is no hope. She recently sold her beloved Porsche, and this year she is avoiding eating out because of the further reduction in payments. She said that fate and ability are unrelated. Reuters reported that in April this year, China International Capital, a major Chinese insurance company, cut the basic salary to reduce the company's operating costs. The basic salary of many employees was reduced by 25%. This reduction is said to have an impact on more than 2,000 employees. This measure continues to reduce the bonus 40% that was implemented in April last year. The decline in the will of many workers who have received high-end education in China is likely to further expand the cloud that covers the Chinese economy. China's stock market has not shaken compared to other countries in the world, and consumption has been stagnant at the lowest level since the pandemic lockdown. Since 2023, the Chinese economy has been suffering from deflation, and now we can see signs of falling into a deflation spiral. This means that there is a risk of further worsening the outlook for the Chinese economy. According to Bloomberg's article, It is widely recognized that there is a risk of an infinite negative impact if the Chinese authorities make a mistake in their work. According to a Chinese official, Since August, the Chinese authorities have arrested three top investment bankers on suspicion of embezzlement. At the latest stage of this so-called anti-corruption movement, it has affected about 4.7 million people. Professor at the Cambridge University Judge Business School, Christopher Marcus, who teaches Chinese business, This shows that there is a dangerous dark cloud lurking in China's labor force. These people are the main driving force of the Chinese economy, but they warn that if their dreams are broken, there is a possibility of a later social crisis. Many people are dissatisfied with the deterioration of corporate earnings and the indiscriminate reduction of salaries. 35-year-old Mr. Na works at an investment investment company based in Shanghai, Japan, and says he is considering working abroad in China. He says that if he stays here, he will waste at least three to five years of his life. Not only the financial industry is in a pinch, but the technology industry is also facing a serious crisis. According to data collected by Bloomberg, In the past few years, more than 63,000 employees have been fired from three companies in Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent. Mr. Ivy Chan said that when he was busy, he often worked until 11 o'clock every night and sold more than $100 million worth of property for Country Garden, a Chinese real estate company. Her annual income used to be $83,000. However, now she sells healthy food on social media. She said in an interview with Bloomberg at the beginning of this year that if she wanted to continue her life like before, it was basically like a dream. She says that she prioritizes having children, and that she is self-employed to avoid working outside, and that she is also reducing her social activities to reduce her expenses. According to China's 2023 Workplace Insight Report, In 2023, the number of jobs in the industry was significantly reduced, About 7% in the digital technology industry, about 12% in the technology sector, and about 18% in the design sector. According to the Workplace Insight Report, In January of this year, many of the employees of state-owned enterprises and central companies in the business sector, It was reported that the salary of the fourth quarter of 2023, as well as the annual salary, decreased. In particular, the reduction in management and administrative jobs is significant. Among the interviewees, some pointed out that the annual salary reduction in 2023 was about 30%. China's largest economic information media, Daiichi Zaijing, quoted data from Wind Information on April 11, 2023, It was reported that the average salary of Chinese bank managers decreased by 13% in 2023, and that some senior managers saw a 40% decrease. In addition, according to the Workplace Insight Report, On May 11 this year, it was revealed that several investment bankers, It was revealed that China Securities, China International Finance, and China Securities recently adjusted their employees' salaries. The central government has made a reduction of about 20%, and China International Finance has made a reduction of up to 25%. China Securities is also planning to reduce again after making a reduction of about 20% at the beginning of this year.