COVER STORY FLEXING THE JOB MUSCLE

Soon after graduation, Wu Mengwei, an electronic and information engineering major, followed his passion and became a writer contributing to online novel websites. He usually works five to six hours every night and jots down some 4,000 to 6,000 words.

“I’m not really a social person. I enjoy letting my thoughts flow at night and write,” Wu said. “But sitting down for too long has admittedly made me gain weight.”

Wu is among China’s 200 million who do not work for a company or any employer, a number recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“Today, many people opt to work on their own or for themselves. They have more choices and can get more creative in their career pursuits, as well as can quickly respond to and change with market demand,” Zhang Chenggang, a professor at the Capital University of Economics and Business, told , adding that the digital age has increased job opportunities and created room for more diversified