(Yicai Global) April 9 -- Close to 45.9 percent of Chinese white-collar workers are concerned they may lose their job because of Covid-19, according to data from recruiting platform Zhaopin.

Over 24.3 percent have already been laid off, Zhaopin said yesterday after compiling the results of 13,000 surveys. Those still in work would rather stay in their current position and avoid job-hopping for the time being to maintain security, it added.

China’s current measures aimed at stabilizing employment help workers and companies to some extent, Zhang Chenggang, director of the China Center for New Employment Patterns at the Capital University of Economics and Business, told Yicai Global. The ongoing global spread of Covid-19 draws special attention toward export-oriented manufacturers and those that suffer a long-term hit may consider letting staff go, he added.

People working in sectors quick to get back to work, such as the industrial and real estate sectors, were most confident about keeping their jobs.

Below are some of the data snippets from Zhaopin’s report:

The job-hopping index among white-collar workers has fallen to 3.66 from 3.74 last spring.

66.2 percent of respondents expect the pandemic to affect their career moves.

52.2 percent are re-considering changing jobs.

9.8 percent are willing to lower salary expectations.

4.3 percent now value their current position higher.

Those born in the 1990s are less worried about losing their job than older works.

20 percent of people born between 1970 and 1989, who make up most of China’s white-collar workforce, plan to start their own business to ease their anxiety.

74.4 percent of respondents plan to upskill.

25 percent plan to take on part-time work to increase their income.

Editor: James Boynton