Young adults are turning to "Pretend To Work" offices, paying to mimic a professional environment
As China grapples with a high youth unemployment rate, some young adults are turning to an unusual solution: paying to "pretend" to work.
The rise of "Pretend To Work" offices in cities like Shenzhen, Shanghai and Dongguan has become a response to the mounting frustration among young people unable to secure stable employment.
In these mock-up offices, participants pay a daily fee (ranging from 30 to 50 yuan, or about $4 to $7 USD) to rent a workstation that mimics a real office environment, complete with computers, meeting rooms and tea areas, according to the BBC.
Some use the time to job hunt, while others focus on personal projects or skill-building, the article says.
Dr. Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, explains that these "pretend work" spaces act as transitional environments for those struggling to bridge the gap between education and employment, with the trend offering young people an interim solution while they continue to search for work or develop new skills.
"Due to economic transformation and the mismatch between education and the job market, young people need these places to think about their next steps, or to do odd jobs as a transition," he says.
The popularity of these mock offices speaks to deeper economic pressures. As the youth unemployment rate in China remains high - standing at 14.9% in May, down slightly from 15.8% the previous month - many young adults are turning to these spaces as an alternative to staying at home. This rate is expected to climb again in the coming months as over 12 million university graduates enter the job market, further intensifying competition for limited job openings, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The Chinese government has implemented measures to address the crisis, including unemployment insurance subsidies, loans for small businesses, and targeted support for unemployed youth. For instance, companies that hire individuals aged 16 to 24 under full insurance contracts may receive a one-time subsidy of up to 1,500 yuan ($209) per person. Despite these efforts, the job market remains strained, prompting some young adults to seek unconventional means to avoid feeling unemployed, according to Reuters.
At the heart of this trend is a sense of frustration and powerlessness. Dr. Biao Xiang of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology suggests that these pretend offices act as a psychological escape.
"Pretending to work is a shell that young people find for themselves, creating a slight distance from mainstream society and giving themselves a little space," he explains.
This emotional coping mechanism allows individuals to maintain a sense of dignity, especially in a society where being unemployed can carry significant social stigma, he says.
While the rise of pretend offices offers temporary relief, experts caution that they do not address the root causes of China’s youth unemployment crisis. Dr. Yao warns that these spaces, while helpful in the short term, are unlikely to provide long-term solutions.
"Only by helping them transform their fake workplace into a real starting point can this social experiment truly live up to its promise," he says.
