As an increasing number of people are making short video creation into a career, TikTok, China’s largest video-sharing and live streaming platform, has created an employment ecosystem connecting hundreds of millions of users, creators and businesses, said a report on TikTok’s employment boosting efforts released on September 9.

Conducted by the National Institute of Development within Renmin University, the report is the first of its kind in China to study a short video-sharing and live-streaming platform.

It is said that more than 20 new roles have been created including live streaming operator, live broadcast assistant, product selector and scene designer as the platform gains more and more popularity. As of August 2020, it has brought about more than 36 million jobs.

Zhang Junjie, in his 20s, was a fire fighter before he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown. By sharing videos of local food and scenery on his TikTok account, he has reaped 2.5 million followers and successfully sold local specialties like honey, dried bamboo shoots, dried sweet potatoes and dried persimmons across the country. In 2019, while realizing a sales volume of 15 million yuan, Zhang also developed the employment and income of his whole village.

In addition to individual creators, the platform has also stimulated the entrepreneurial vitality of enterprises. As of July 2020, more than 4 million companies, among which 77% are SMEs with less than 20 employees, have opened corporate accounts on TikTok, extending advertising and sales channels.