China youth unemployment, Gen Z job seekers, pretend to work offices, rat people, and lying flat trend:
China Youth Unemployment Crisis: Gen Z Paying $7 a Day to “Pretend to Work” in Fake Offices
China’s youth unemployment crisis has reached a point where some Gen Z job seekers are paying to sit in pretend to work offices rather than staying home. With the youth unemployment rate in China at 14.5% for people aged 16–24, many young professionals are struggling to find jobs despite holding prestigious degrees. Instead of “lying flat” or spending all day in bed scrolling on their phones, some are turning to a new phenomenon—paying between 30 and 50 yuan (about $4.20 to $7) a day to work in fake office spaces.
These spaces, run by the Pretend to Work Company, are appearing in major cities like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming. For that daily fee, job seekers get access to office desks, computers, Wi-Fi, snacks, lunch, and drinks. While it might seem strange to pay to “work,” experts say these environments can help job seekers network, brainstorm startup ideas, or simply stay motivated—something that’s harder to achieve when isolated at home.
The Gen Z unemployment problem in China is not new. In 2023, Peking University professor Zhang Dandan estimated the real youth unemployment rate could have been as high as 46.5%, with around 16 million young people effectively giving up on the labor market. Many adopted the “lying flat” lifestyle—doing the bare minimum to get by—or embraced the “rat people” identity, spending their days bed rotting, browsing social media, and ordering takeout.
Some universities have even been accused of inflating graduate employment rates to avoid losing degree programs. Reports indicate that schools have offered fake jobs to their own graduates or encouraged students to falsify employment status. Henry Gao, a law professor at Singapore Management University, has suggested that the real youth unemployment rate in China could be higher than official figures indicate.
For some Chinese Gen Zers, participating in “pretend to work” is more than just passing time—it’s a form of resistance. Career coach Advita Patel notes that constant job rejections and being ghosted by employers can erode confidence and mental health. By joining these fake office spaces, unemployed youth find solidarity, a sense of purpose, and even a spark of hope in a competitive and discouraging job market.