Public welfare talent is in extremely short supply: nearly two tenths of public welfare workers earn less than a 1000 Yuan a month
公益人才极度匮乏：近两成从业者月薪1000元以下
By Zhang Xiaoxiang 张枭翔, China Philanthropist 中国慈善家, November 18, 2013.
The problems facing Chinese public welfare worker talent have already burst out into the mainstream and may even seriously hinder the future development of the Chinese public welfare sector. Both internal exploration within the sector itself, and intervention by external resources, are two paths that could lead to a solution to the predicament.
In the New Year’s film ‘A World without Thieves’, Zhong Lishu makes a famous remark: “What is most precious in the 21st Century? Talent!”. This saying is also currently applicable to China’s public welfare world. Since China entered the 2008 “first year of philanthropy”, all categories of third-sector organizations, such as foundations and NGOs, have welcomed in a springtime of development. However, with regards to the mismatch between the capabilities of public welfare workers and the sector’s development, serious factors such as a talent drain are obstructing the expansion, innovation, and sustainable development of the public welfare sector. At the same time, looking at the sector as a whole, international organizations are also leaving China one after another, and the demands that society places on public welfare are increasing to add yet more pressure. The public welfare world has also begun to realize the significance of human resources for the sector.
On the ‘Paths to solving the public welfare talent problem’ forum, Kang Xiaoguang, Head of the People’s University NPO Research Center, has previously suggested some ways to solving the talent problem: “First, we must increase the reserves of talent; especially important is increasing specialist training and talent education. Secondly we should increase the attractiveness of the public welfare field, so that we can attract genuinely capable and promising individuals to work in the sector”.
Translated by Tom Bannister. See article for full text.
