In a country where youth unemployment has soared to over 14%, a peculiar trend has emerged among young Chinese adults—they are paying to "pretend" to work. This phenomenon, fueled by a sluggish economy and a challenging job market, has drawn attention as a coping mechanism for those struggling to find legitimate employment.
The concept is simple: for a fee, individuals can spend their days in a mock office environment, equipped with computers and meeting rooms, creating an impression of being employed. Shui Zhou, one such participant, pays around 30 yuan ($4.20) daily to be part of a workspace in Dongguan, where he can join others who are in similar predicaments. “It’s like we’re working together as a group,” Zhou expressed, highlighting the social aspect of this unique arrangement.
These companies have sprouted across major cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. While some attendees engage in job searches or entrepreneurial pursuits using the available resources, others simply enjoy the camaraderie of shared situations, gaining a sense of purpose and community that is often lacking when isolated at home.
Dr. Christian Yao, a lecturer specializing in the Chinese economy, notes that such operations serve as transitional solutions for young people facing significant educational and job market mismatches. As these individuals look for direction, places like "Pretend To Work" help them maintain a semblance of normal daily structure.
Shifting to the perspective of young women, Xiaowen Tang, a postgraduate who has been unemployed since graduation, utilized this tactic as a means to satisfy her university's internship requirement. By renting a workstation at a mock office, she could send proof of participation while writing online novels.
On the business end, Feiyu, a former retail business owner now operating a “Pretend To Work” facility, views his work as providing dignity to young people feeling lost in the job hunt. Feiyu’s operation, already filled with clients seeking the comfort of an office environment, reflects a broader societal challenge of ensuring that participants can ultimately transition from a pretended to a productive work life.
Indicating the unique blend of necessity and despair in today's job market, Dr. Biao Xiang from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology points out that this pandemic of "pretending to work" stems from a context of frustration tied to limited job opportunities for recent graduates.
In a quest for personal development and real employment prospects, Zhou now dedicates much of his office time to mastering AI tools, in anticipation of enhancing his employability in a digitized world.
While the future viability of these pretend office spaces remains uncertain, their rise reflects the larger narrative of youth navigating an increasingly challenging labor landscape in China.
