Niche jobs opening (wardrobe) doors for inventive jobseekers

Xie Junying's job pays her according to the size of a wardrobe. She is a "wardrobe master", which means every day she reorganizes her customers' closets, throwing away unsuitable clothes and giving fashion advice.

She used to work at a dry-cleaning company, but while making a delivery one day Xie realized many people have no idea how to keep their clothes tidy and ordered.

To become a wardrobe master, Xie went for training in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and was taught of how to perfectly fold a T-shirt, sweater and trousers, and sort them by color, texture and season.

Most wardrobe masters are paid by the width of a closet - 100 yuan ($15) or more per meter. The job is flexible, with no requirements or educational background needed.

Experienced wardrobe masters can be promoted as consultants and take charge of the training and certification of new practitioners.

The market has grown much larger than Xie ever imagined. Her company makes 300,000 yuan a year cleaning out wardrobes for customers.

As its society develops, the country has seen a rise in jobs serving niche markets. Sensitive job seekers and investors can quickly spot new trends and grasp business opportunities.

While studying at Beijing Language and Culture University, Sun Zan took sign language as an elective course, believing it would broaden her career possibilities as more services are needed for the hearing-impaired.

About 30 million people have impaired hearing in China, according to the World Health Organization. They need interpreters to see a doctor, consult lawyers and run errands. "Sign language interpretation is a very promising job," Sun said.

The silver-haired generation are also finding fresh opportunities. In January, online marketplace Taobao started searching for elderly user-experience specialists to test products designed for older consumers and carry out market research. The annual salary was up to 400,000 yuan.

Taobao's job ad said it wanted candidates who are 60 or older, have many elderly friends and regularly shop online. "Active members in square dancing and residential committees are preferred," it added. The company hired 10 people from more than 3,000 applicants.

According to the China Association of Employment Promotion, these new kinds of jobs have helped ease employment pressure, but they "also pose threats as practitioners lack social security and a stable income, and may lose their jobs quickly if the market changes".

Some people have criticized "gaming masters", who help clients upgrade to higher levels of online games, while jobs such as "expressway guides" - people who lead the way for drivers at expressway exits - have died out with the expansion of the 4G network.

"A new need in society, new technological breakthrough or a change in economic structure can all create new jobs," said professor Zheng Lanxiang at Anhui University. "Labor officials should be sensitive to new changes and carry out training to help people take advantage of new opportunities."

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