Why China Youth Are Investing In A Fake 9-To-5 Experience
In China, some young adults are paying to work in fake offices to stay disciplined, look employed or meet diploma requirements.
In China's tough job market, some young adults are doing something unusual: paying companies to sit in fully equipped offices and pretend to have a job. Yes, you read that right! They don't want a salary; instead, they spend their own money just to experience the routine of going to work.
According to the BBC, this trend has been catching on in cities like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Kunming. The idea has grown in popularity as China's youth unemployment rate stays above 14 per cent.
The 'Pretend To Work' Trend
One of the people joining this trend is 30-year-old Shui Zhou. After his food business closed in 2024, he started paying 30 yuan (Rs 365) a day to share an office at Dongguan's Pretend To Work Company.
'I feel very happy," Zhou told the BBC. 'It's like we are working together as a group," he added.
He usually arrives between 8 am and 9 am, sometimes staying as late as 11 pm. He says the office has helped him become more disciplined, and he has made friends there. The group often shares meals after 'work."
Dr Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management, says this practice is 'very common" in China.
'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. Pretend office companies are one of the transitional solutions," Yao explains to the BBC.
Some people use the offices simply to keep up appearances in front of their families, while others appreciate the quiet environment for thinking and planning their future.
Faking Internships To Get Diplomas
For some, the pretend office is a strategic move. In Shanghai, 23-year-old Xiaowen Tang rented a desk for a month earlier this year. A 2023 graduate without a full-time job, she had to provide proof of employment or internship to receive her diploma.
Tang submitted photos of herself in the office as proof. In reality, she was writing online novels for extra income. 'If you are going to fake it, just fake it to the end," she also told the BBC.
Paying To Pretend You Have A Job
As per the BBC, the idea behind these businesses comes from personal experience. The owner of Pretend To Work Company, known as Feiyu, was himself unemployed after his retail store shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
'What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person," he says.
For many of China's jobless youth, these spaces are not just about pretending; they are about finding purpose, building habits and holding on to hope while searching for what is next.
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First Published:
August 12, 2025, 16:31 IST
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