Originally published in the Economic Observer.
Who are the happiest people in China? In a survey conducted by Xiaokang (meaning basically well-off) magazine last year, in the eyes of the public, civil servant comes top of the list as a profession. However, the newly published 2012 China Workplace Mental Health Research Report has shown that officials' own sense of self is the unhappiest of all.
For the outsiders, governmental officials have an "iron bowl" -- a steady job and they enjoy relatively high welfare.
Although the grassroots civil servants do not have high wages, they can always expect to be promoted and look forward to a better future. It is precisely because of this common perception that each year millions of Chinese applicants sit for exams to become civil servants and compete fiercely for popular posts.
Why is there such polarization between the public and the officials? The survey itself may be the problem. In the survey sampling, only 2.7% work for government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or are researchers. In addition, 74.8% of all those surveyed are young people aged 30 and below. This makes it logical that any officials questioned feel unhappy since they are at the bottom of the totem pole with low revenues and high pressure.
But does this mean those on the top of the power hierarchy feel any happier? Alas, were that the case, China wouldn't have so many "naked officials" who send their wives, children and dirty money abroad. Clearly these people, considered generally as belonging to the most powerful group, are also worried that they might not be guaranteed everything forever.
And how about the country's new rich, who are also at the top of the pyramid and control hold most of the society's wealth? It's no news that rich Chinese are keen on emigrating. In China there are more than 700,000 people with at least 10 million RMB ($1.6 million), dubbed the High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs).
A way out
The China Private Wealth Report 2013 published by Bain & Company two weeks ago revealed that 60% of these HNWIs have started to emigrate, while another third of them now invest overseas. The number of HNWIs and ultra-HNWIs with overseas investments has roughly doubled since 2011, the report stated.
