Is age 35 really a big obstacle in your career? For many office workers in China, in recent years, 35 has been a “scary” milestone when many people near this age have fallen into a wave of layoffs, even though they are holding high positions in corporations. big group. What makes this group of workers different in the eyes of employers: They demand high salaries, have reduced acuity but are not willing to work overtime like young graduates.
When a wave of layoffs suddenly hit, they struggled to find a way to make a living and budget while carrying the financial burden of not only themselves but also that of their families.
Struggling to live after being fired at the age of 35
Xiao Li (32 years old) used to work as a sales manager for a foreign corporation. In the eyes of the leader, he is an energetic person, likes to participate in social activities, and even accepts to work overtime. However, after 3 years of the Covid-19 epidemic, the company’s business operations stagnated and finances declined, forcing the business to announce layoffs. Xiao Li was one of the first people named on the list.
For Xiao Li, unemployment is like a “slap” to his family’s finances. Because over the years, Xiao Li’s wife has stopped working to focus on raising their children, so all the financial burden falls on her husband’s shoulders. Once Xiao Li loses her job, the family’s entire life will change.
“I feel very hopeless. I did not expect to fall into this miserable situation after 15 years of working. My wife was just pregnant with her second child, and due to severe morning sickness, she could only rest at home. . My first child is in elementary school and has a large tuition fee to pay every month. Xiao Li sighed.
To have enough money to support the whole family, Xiao Li began to cut back as much as possible on her personal needs. Every day, he still goes out to look for work, but to save on gas costs when traveling by car, he switched to walking. After half a year of being unemployed but still unable to find a job, Xiao Li confided his unemployment story to his wife. However, even though the family had spent as much as possible after that, Xiao Li’s back was drenched in sweat every day as she walked to the interview, and her reserve money was increasingly depleted. Xiao Li estimates that in order to still be able to pay for his mortgage and basic living needs, he can only tell his eldest son to skip expensive remedial classes.
“We worked hard in the past. But being unemployed for a long time while still carrying a lot of debt on my shoulders exhausted me,” Xiao Li lamented.
In another case, Sun Li (38 years old) used to work as a senior specialist at the R&D department in Shenzhen. He has not been able to find a job since being fired a year ago. Sun Li said that his current life is not too difficult because he has completed buying a house. However, the burden comes from the expensive education costs of children.
“I can’t tell them to stop studying. Both children are in school, they need to get into the best university preparation classes, if they want to pass the entrance exam to good schools.” Sun Li said.
Before that, he knew that he was about to be fired half a year ago. Even though she prepared to spread her CV early before officially leaving her job, due to the high expectations at her new job, until she left her job, Sun Li still could not find a suitable position. “That was my completely wrong decision. If only I had accepted the job before the wave of layoffs spread, otherwise my family situation would not have been so difficult.”
The director switched to being a shipper because he didn’t have enough money to live
Leaving behind the title of sales manager, Xiao Li switched to being a food delivery worker because she couldn’t find a job. He often goes for interviews in the morning, rests in the afternoon, and in the evening starts working as a food delivery person.
Xiao Li said that delivering food is very hard but can help him earn 300 – 500 yuan/day (1 – 1.7 million VND). Income from food delivery can partly offset the family’s living expenses, while he used his previous savings to pay for a house and his children’s education.
“Even though this job doesn’t make a lot of money, it’s good that I don’t feel as tired as before. I work hard every day, but in the end my dream doesn’t go anywhere. I still feel lucky that I My close friend was fired but still received compensation. My close friend also had to quit his job 2 months after receiving the decision, but he had to leave with nothing.” Xiao Li confided.
Xiao Li added, a friend of his, just 1 year ago, he used to work as a Director with a monthly salary always over 20,000 Yuan (~70 million VND). However, this friend was fired by the company at the age of 35. He regularly sent his CV every day, looking for past business relationships to ask for help, but in the end he was still unemployed. Finally, he also switched to being a shipper like Xiao Li and can now earn 10,000 yuan (about 35 million VND/month).
“After nearly half of my life, I realize that skill or experience is not the most important factor to help you keep your position. If you don’t have outstanding ability, at the age of 35 you will quickly be fired. waste, cannot be further ‘recycled’ in the workplace”, This friend sighed while talking to Xiao Li.
