Mon, 11 Aug 2025

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 China's unemployed young adults who are pretending to have jobs

With Chinese youth unemployment high, individuals are paying to go into offices and pretend to work.
The phenomenon is attributed to China's sluggish economy and jobs market, with youth unemployment rates hovering above 14%. Dr. Christian Yao, an expert on the Chinese economy, notes that these pretend offices serve as a transitional solution for young people who need a place to think about their next steps or do odd jobs while they transition. Those who attend these mock offices often come from backgrounds where there is pressure to find employment quickly, and some may even use the experience to bolster their social media presence or convince family members that they are actively seeking work. Some entrepreneurs have started to capitalize on this trend, offering services like "office rental" or "co-working space" - but with the added twist of providing a sense of community and purpose. For individuals like Shui Zhou, who had a failed business venture and was struggling to find a new job, attending a pretend office has brought him a sense of happiness and structure. He says that being around colleagues who are also trying to make a go of things makes the experience feel more like actual work, and he's even been able to use the computers to search for jobs and start his own online business. However, critics argue that these pretend offices are nothing more than a way to alleviate feelings of guilt or shame associated with unemployment, rather than providing any real solutions to the underlying issues. Dr. Biao Xiang, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, notes that pretending to work is a way for young people to create distance from mainstream society and give themselves some space to think about their next steps. As one entrepreneur who started a pretend office business puts it, "what I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person."
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