When all the little ants are marching / Red and black antennas waving / They all do it the same / They all do it the same way ...
So says Dave Matthews.
The reference here (WSJ story) involves Chinese college graduates who call themselves the "ant tribe" because they can't find post-grad jobs but nonetheless stick around Beijing's outskirts, squeaking out a cheap life while hoping for something to come along.
Term comes from a recent popular book that surveyed such students, one that inspired "both admiration for the young people's striving and indignation at their living conditions."
Sort of sounds like a Chinese "Rent."
This year's class of 2010 hits the job market at 6.3m strong, and more than 100k are expected to take up an ant-like residency on Beijing's margins. Imagine five guys sharing 130 square feet, or getting by encapsulated in a "capsule" apartment that measures 8 feet by 28 (!) inches.
The popular "song of the ants" is neither Jonathan Larson- or Dave Matthews-like, and yet the punch line resonates well enough:
Though we have nothing, we are tough in spirit
Though we have nothing, we are still dreaming
Though we have nothing, we still have power
I think Bill Clinton created something like 8m jobs across two terms. The Chinese need to create a noticeably higher figure every year. The country's total labor supply grows about 25m per year.