It's rare to hear that college students are graduating and starting their own businesses now, and the small shops and companies around are also decreasing. Why is this happening?

I know a guy named Zhang who owns a milk tea shop; he suddenly transferred his business that he had been running for five years yesterday. The reason is both amusing and sad: the new employees born in the 2000s asked him for social insurance. This small shop has a total of 8 employees and has never paid social insurance since its opening, which was also clearly stated during the hiring process.

Last week, a new girl calculated: "Brother Zhang, our milk tea sells for 15 yuan, and according to the law, you have to pay me over 800 yuan for social insurance every month." The other employees, who initially stayed silent, were all stirred up by her and began to demand retroactive payments, or they would report him to the labor bureau. Brother Zhang calculated with his fingers: if he were to pay five years of social insurance, it would cost him over 200,000 yuan, which is simply not sustainable for this business.

The most ironic part now is that, apart from that girl born in the 2000s, the other seven veteran employees all regret it. Sister Wang pulled Zhang and said: "Why don't you reopen the shop? We don't need social insurance anymore." But Zhang's heart is completely cold: "Today's young people have a strong awareness of their rights; my small business simply cannot withstand the formal approach."

In my opinion, this situation is like a mirror reflecting three painful realities:

1. The younger generation dares to stand firm. They take the Labor Law as a shield, and every point they make is reasonable. Just like milk tea must have pearls, employees must have social insurance; this generation of young people lives clearly and intelligently.

2. Small bosses also have their own difficulties. Brother Zhang's milk tea shop has a gross profit of less than 30%; if he were to comply fully with the five insurances and one fund, he would have to spend nearly 10,000 yuan more each month, which is equivalent to working for free for half a month.

3. The veteran employees are in the most awkward position. They endured hardship initially to keep their jobs, but now they want protection while fearing job loss, ending up with nothing in the end.

It must be said that running a small business and being a small boss has become increasingly risky; if things go wrong, not only will they not make money, but they may also end up with a pile of debt, which is why fewer people are starting businesses now.

Looking through the Labor Law, the regulations are very detailed, but it feels like they were formulated based on the conditions of state-owned enterprises and large corporations. For ordinary individual businesses with just a few people, how can they afford such comprehensive protections with their daily earnings? They are just trying to make a living, and if they are required to provide guarantees like those of the Fortune 500 companies, they would have no choice but to close down.