The recent decline in the property market and the stock market has affected the hearts of countless people. Those who bought a house are worried that the house price will fall, and those who speculate on the stock are worried that the stock price will fall and lose money.
When you're anxious about the depreciation of house prices and stock prices, you don't realize that there are other things around you that are depreciating at a faster rate, and they affect everyone.
Let's guess what are the three things that are easy to overlook, but whose depreciation rate is comparable to that of house prices and stock prices? Let's go to the article to find the answer.
First, the purchasing power of the renminbi is depreciating rapidly
In recent years, each of us has felt the rise in prices to a greater or lesser extent. In the past, 10 yuan could buy a large bag of bread, but now it is only enough to buy three or two;
A cup of milk tea that used to be available at hand now costs more than 20 yuan, and even the home-cooked meals sold in street restaurants can't be eaten enough for a set meal without thirty or forty. These are all manifestations of inflation.
According to official data, the CPI rose by 2.8% year-on-year in 2023. Although this figure may not seem high, the price increase of some food and daily necessities is much higher than average.
Taking eggs as an example, the average price of eggs in the country will reach 5.67 yuan per catty in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 29.4%. Edible oil prices also rose by 14.3%.
Wage incomes often do not grow at the same rate as prices rise, leading to a shrinkage in real disposable income for most people.
What is even more worrying is that the pace of RMB depreciation may continue to accelerate as global currencies are over-issued and inflation expectations rise further.
If your wages go up by 10 percent and prices go up by 15 percent over the same period, your real income is actually depreciating and your purchasing power is decreasing. This will undoubtedly affect the quality of life of every family, especially the working class and retirees with relatively regular incomes.
The money in everyone's hands is actually shrinking, but the depreciation rate is not as obvious and amazing as the stock price of housing prices, and it is easy to be ignored.
In the face of the depreciation of the purchasing power of the renminbi, we must take precautions in advance.
For example, try to invest idle funds in assets that can hedge against inflation, such as gold, real estate, etc.;
Try to be as careful as possible in daily consumption, reduce unnecessary expenses, improve your vocational skills, strive for salary increases, and increase your income level. Only if income growth outpaces inflation can wealth not be diluted.
Of course, this is no longer the time when one person can fight inflation. We also call on the government to increase investment in people's livelihood, improve the welfare of low-income groups, and improve the social security system, so that the fruits of economic development can benefit more ordinary people.
Only in this way can we fundamentally alleviate the erosion of inflation on people's lives.
Second, the depreciation of professional skills is accelerating
In addition to the depreciation of the purchasing power of the renminbi, there is another thing that is easy to overlook but depreciates at an astonishing rate, and that is professional skills.
In this rapidly changing era, once sought-after industries and jobs may be replaced by new technologies and new models in the blink of an eye, and the professional skills of the past become useless overnight.
Take taxi drivers, for example, which used to be an enviable golden job. However, with the rise of ride-hailing platforms such as Didi, the traditional taxi industry has been hit hard, and many drivers have been forced to change careers.
In the past few years, food delivery workers have become a popular profession, but the emergence of new models such as unmanned delivery and self-pickup cabinets has cast a shadow on the prospects of this industry.
Looking at the Internet industry again, e-commerce and live broadcast used to be unlimited, but now they are facing the dilemma of peak traffic and increased supervision, and a group of practitioners are facing a crisis of unemployment.
The seemingly trendy professions of new media editors and Internet celebrity anchors may be replaced by AI algorithms at any time. In the future, even white-collar jobs such as financial accounting and customer service may be encroached upon by intelligent software.
The fundamental reason why the depreciation of professional skills is so rapid is the industrial transformation brought about by the new round of scientific and technological revolution.
The application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and 5G is fundamentally reshaping the way all walks of life operate, subverting the original business model and employment pattern.
Fields of expertise that were once stable have also become volatile under the impact of the wave of innovation. Once an individual cannot keep up with the pace of the times, the professional skills in their hands will quickly depreciate.
In the face of the depreciation of professional skills, we must first establish the concept of lifelong learning, constantly enrich new knowledge, master new skills, and strive to improve our competitiveness.
At the same time, it is also necessary to make career planning in advance, pay attention to industrial development trends, and enhance the courage and ability of career transformation. What machines can't replace is often work that requires creativity, insight, and empathy.
We will strive to become a compound human resource with these capabilities. In addition, industry associations, employers, and government departments should also assume the responsibility of vocational training and re-employment guidance, and provide necessary assistance for practitioners to upgrade their skills and transfer employment.
Only the efforts of the government, enterprises and individuals can resolve the employment risks and workplace anxiety caused by the depreciation of professional skills.
Epilogue:
Through the above analysis, I believe you have realized that in the current era of uncertainty, in addition to housing prices and stock prices, there are some things around us that are quietly depreciating, and the depreciation rate is even faster.
One of the most alarming is the depreciation of the purchasing power of the renminbi and the depreciation of personal professional skills.
While we can't stop the wheels of the times from rolling forward, we can at least be prepared to respond positively.
In the face of inflationary pressure, it is necessary to rationally allocate assets and live within the limits of income, and at the same time call on the government to increase investment in people's livelihood so that the fruits of development can benefit more people.
In the face of the depreciation of professional skills, it is necessary to establish the concept of lifelong learning, enhance core competitiveness, and prepare for career transformation.
Only by seeing the general trend, taking precautions, and responding in advance, can we maintain our hard-earned wealth and remain invincible in the midst of various depreciation risks.
Let's work together to forge ahead and create a better and more secure future!