Chinese Funeral Home Posts Job Offer: Stand for 10 Minutes at Morgue

A morgue manager is to be recruited by a funeral home in Rushan, Shandong province, China. The salary is a handsome 2,200 yuan per month (Rs 25,000). The qualification requirement is bizarre: a candidate must spend 10 minutes in the freezing morgue before they qualify for an interview.

The job notice, advertised by Rushan Xinmike Human Resources Co., Ltd. and the Rushan Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security on December 6, demands certain qualifications from candidates. Such qualifications include permanent household registration in Rushan, ability to work on 24-hour shifts, being male, less than 45 years old, and above junior secondary school education levels. More so, aspiring candidates need to pay 70 yuan (Rs 816) for the exam to sit in.

The hiring process is lengthy. It includes the morgue test, structured interviews, background checks, medical exams, and a six-month probation period. But it is not “bian zhi,” with its guarantee of stable, lifelong employment.

A representative from the Rushan Funeral Services Centre explained the morgue test. “The special requirement is just a test method because some people have strong taboos or fears of staying too long in such settings, but our work requires someone who can remain in the room for over 10 minutes,” the representative explained.

Some experts, however, criticized the practice. Wang, a funeral home management professional in southwestern China, called the test inappropriate. “This on-site test might assess a candidate’s psychological resilience, but it seems unethical. Professional psychological tests or internships would be better alternatives,” he said.

Despite all the controversies of the hiring process, the funeral services market in China is increasing. The industry has risen from 169.5 billion yuan in 2015 to 310.2 billion yuan in 2022, according to Zhiyan Consulting.