'I Swiped Right On People I Want To Work With': How Youth Is Using Tinder & Other Dating Apps For Job Searches
Given the current fragile state of the job market, it's becoming harder to secure employment. Despite searching through various job portals like LinkedIn and Indeed, finding a job seems elusive. So, it isn't surprising that people in China are looking elsewhere for jobs but it is the place they are looking for that's unlikely - Tinder. Maybe it's time for India to follow suit.
Given the current fragile state of the job market, it's becoming harder to secure employment. Despite searching through various job portals like LinkedIn and Indeed, finding a job seems elusive. So, it isn't surprising that people in China are looking elsewhere for jobs but, it's the place they are looking for that's unlikely - Tinder. Maybe it's time for India to follow suit.
Swiping right to get a job
26-year-old Jade Liang, a master¡¯s student in Shanghai, failed to secure a job after applying to over 400 positions online. Frustrated, she decided to turn to an unlikely place - Tinder.
Tinder
Previously, like everyone else, she used Tinder to find romantic connections, but now she is using it to meet fellow professionals for casual coffee meetings.
"I simply swiped right on individuals in the industry I aspire to join," Liang told NBC News.
To make sure the other party does not get the wrong idea, she clarifies her intentions at the beginning of the conversation.
Liang's idea of using Tinder for job hunting was sparked by a viral post on Xiaohongshu, China's Instagram equivalent, where a user claimed to have successfully landed a job through a Chinese dating app.
Unsplash
Similar posts recommending dating apps for job searches are common on Chinese social media.
However, Tinder itself discourages this practice, emphasising that the platform is intended for personal relationships, not professional ones.
India's urban youth unemployment rate at 17.3%
Liang is one of many job seekers in China who are trying unconventional methods due to tough competition and a lack of job opportunities. Some are even opting to be 'full-time' children.
China, the world's second-largest economy after the United States, is grappling with high youth unemployment, reaching a record 21.3% last June. In India, too, unemployment is a major concern for educated youth.
shutterstock
According to the NSSO's quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey for July-September 2023, the latest unemployment rate for urban youth aged 15-29 is nearly three times higher at 17.3% than the overall rate of 6.6%.
Perhaps it's time for India to take a cue out of China's book.
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