Despite the pandemic's severe impact on the job market, the budding esports industry in China is creating plenty of job opportunities. 

The industry, which was officially recognized last year, is projected to employ 2 million people in the ensuing five years, almost quadruple its current size of 500,000, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MORHSS).

In June, the Ministry of Education announced that esports workers were officially included in its employment statistics.

As a new industry, esports has attracted a lot of young people with ability and ideas.

"Esports is a new industry that gives young people a faster chance to succeed," said Qing Xi, founder of PentanQ Hedgehog Sports. Qing claims there is nearly always a shortage of staff behind the scenes. His esports organization is looking for data analysts, reporters, and editors, but it's hard for him to find the right candidates.

The esports industry needs not only passionate workers, but also those with expertise. Although esports are in high demand, many job seekers enter the industry simply because they like a team or a star and are not familiar with the work that needs to be done.

Wang Xi, a professional player at an esports club in Shanghai, turns 18 at the end of this year. He believes that to become a professional player, one needs to be young, have a high level of gaming, and find a club that plays like he/she.

Lan Ran was a youth trainee at an esports club, but finally switched to working behind the scenes. Ran is currently the manager of an esports club, managing the lives of players and arranging training sessions.

Luo Hao, 22, an undergraduate majoring in esports at Sichuan University of Communication, is currently unemployed at home. He thinks that because esports are relatively new many people are unaware of its future development potential. He thinks that if he wants to enter the esports industry, he needs to rely on others' recommendations.

Qing believes that academic qualifications are only one of the criteria for judging the ability of job applicants and that while highly educated job seekers often have excellent professional knowledge, some of the less educated have a better understanding of the game.

Qing advised that young people who want to enter in the esports industry need to be passionate about the industry, and more importantly, have plenty of expertise. 

According to the MORHSS, only 15% of esports positions in China are saturated and the demand for professionals is concentrated on players, coaches, data analysts, events and operations.

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