Unemployed youth in China are paying Rs 600 a day to pretend to work

In China, a growing number of young, unemployed adults are paying companies so they can "pretend to work”. With youth unemployment at more than 14 per cent, real jobs are scarce. Many prefer a simulated office over staying home.

Shui Zhou, 30, ran a food business that failed in 2024. Since April this year, he has paid 30 yuan (Rs 366) a day to use an office run by the "Pretend To Work Company” in Dongguan. The space has desks, computers, internet, meeting rooms and even a tea room.

Attendees often use the time to job-hunt or work on personal projects. Fees usually range from 30 to 50 yuan (Rs 366 to Rs 610), sometimes including lunch and snacks.

Dr Christian Yao, from Victoria University of Wellington, says these spaces offer "transitional solutions” amid China’s economic changes and mismatch between education and jobs.

For Zhou, the office provides structure, friends and a sense of teamwork. "I feel very happy," Zhou told BBC. "It's like we're working together as a group."

He sent photos of the office to his parents which made them feel more at ease about his lack of employment.

In Shanghai, 23-year-old Xiaowen Tang rented a desk for a month. She hasn’t found a full-time job since graduating. To secure her diploma, she sent her university photos of herself "at work”, though she was actually writing online novels.

Experts like Dr Biao Xiang say the trend reflects frustration and a need for space from societal pressures.

The Dongguan office is owned by 30-year-old Feiyu (a pseudonym). He said he sells "the dignity of not being a useless person”. Forty per cent of clients are fresh graduates wanting proof of internships. The rest are freelancers and digital nomads.

Feiyu called his venture a social experiment. "It uses lies to maintain respectability, but it allows some people to find the truth,” he says.

Zhou is now using the time to improve his AI skills, hoping this will help him secure a real job.