A funeral home in China has sparked online amusement by advertising for a “morgue manager” position with a monthly salary of 2,200 yuan (US$300) which requires candidates to spend 10 minutes in a freezing cold morgue to qualify for an interview.
On December 11, a netizen from Rushan, Shandong province in northern China, posted online details of the unique on-site test conducted by Rushan Xinmike Human Resources Co, Ltd as part of their hiring process.
According to the job posting released by the Rushan Municipal Bureau of human resources and social security on December 6, the job requires applicants to have permanent household registration in Rushan.
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A prospective candidate must also be capable of working 24-hour shifts, be male, under 45 years old, and have at least a junior secondary school education.
The position is a three-year contract and requires applicants to pay a 70 yuan (US$10) exam fee.
A comprehensive hiring process includes several stages such as the morgue room test, structured interviews, background checks, medical exams, and a six-month probation period.
A member of staff from the Rushan Funeral Services Centre told Eastern Business News: “The special requirement is just a test method because some people have strong taboos or fears staying too long in such settings, but our work requires someone who can remain in the room for more than 10 minutes.”
Further details revealed that the monthly salary for this position is 2,200 yuan after tax and social insurance payments, with additional allowances for night shifts.
But the role is based on a contract and does not offer bian zhi, a benefit that ensures a stable, lifelong job.
It remains unclear how many candidates have applied for the job.
An source, surnamed Wang, who has extensive experience in funeral home management in southwestern China, told Jimu News that this on-site test might be intended to assess a candidate’s psychological resilience, although it seems unethical.
“In practice, positions like body management and crematory work offer higher pay than regular staff because they are specialised. You can do professional psychological tests or set up an internship period, but this type of on-site test before the interview is inappropriate.”
According to Zhiyan Consulting, China’s funeral services market expanded from 169.5 billion yuan (US$22 billion) in 2015 to 310.2 billion yuan by 2022.
Last year, there were 4,605 funeral service institutions nationwide, with cemetery services companies comprising the largest share at 57.84 per cent.
The job advertisement has triggered amusement online.
One netizen joked: “This is much better than interviewing 10 living people. At least they did not ask me to stay in a crematorium for 10 minutes!”
“You have never worked before? The dead are not frightened because after starting to work, your grievances will weigh more than that of a ghost.”
Some people pointed out that the 2,200 yuan salary was too low to make the position attractive: “I could stay for 10 hours, just give me a book and a bottle of water. But the pay is too low.”
“It is not the fear that holds you back, but the salary,” said another person.
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