According to financial magazine Fortune, recent graduates in China, even those with prestigious degrees, are struggling in a tough job market.
To cope, some pay 30-50 yuan (US$4.20-7) a day to kill time in mock office spaces that can be found in major cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming. They provide computers, snacks, lunch, and drinks.
Renters often work on startups, submit applications, or simply be around other job-seekers. The unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds is 14.5%.
Experts say these fake offices allow the jobless youth to do more than isolating at home.
Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, told British state broadcaster BBC that pretend offices help youth plan next steps, pursue temporary jobs or transition into the workforce.
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Gen Z in China has opted for staying at home to cope with unemployment. Photo by Pexels |
Youth unemployment has been high in China for years, reaching as much as 46.5% in 2023, according to Peking University economist Zhang Dandan. After three months of record joblessness the government stopped publishing statistics. Many young people have withdrawn from the labor force and do the bare minimum to cope.
The government has tried to address youth unemployment. In 2011 the Ministry of Education warned that college majors that afford less than 60% employment for two consecutive years could be canceled. Some colleges thus falsify employment data, experts say.
Henry Gao, a law professor at Singapore Management University, told the South China Morning Post in 2023 that youth unemployment in China could be higher than official figures indicate, adding that some colleges create jobs for their graduates to pad data.
