"There is a Job Prepared for Me Here": Understanding How Short Video and Live-streaming Platforms Empower Ageing Job Seekers in China

Abstract

In recent years, the global unemployment rate has remained persistently high. Compounding this issue, the ageing population in China often encounters additional challenges in finding employment due to prevalent age discrimination in daily life. However, with the advent of social media, there has been a rise in the popularity of short videos and live-streams for recruiting ageing workers. To better understand the motivations of ageing job seekers to engage with these video-based recruitment methods and to explore the extent to which such platforms can empower them, we conducted an interview-based study with ageing job seekers who have had exposure to these short recruitment videos and live-streaming channels. Our findings reveal that these platforms can provide a job-seeking choice that is particularly friendly to ageing job seekers, effectively improving their disadvantaged situation.