Rising Competition in China's Livestreaming Attracts Young Hopefuls

As youth unemployment in China reaches record levels, millions of young Chinese people are turning to livestreaming as a potential career path. Livestream sales hosts, like Zhang Jinyu, are working long hours to stand out in the highly competitive industry, which employed 1.23 million hosts in 2020 and generated $480 billion in business. Agencies have emerged to train and connect hosts with brands, and the approach to livestreaming has shifted from focusing solely on sales to building relationships and promoting brand values.