Latest news with #PretendToWorkCompany
News18
a day ago
- Business
- News18
Why China Youth Are Investing In A Fake 9-To-5 Experience
Last Updated: 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. view comments Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: August 12, 2025, 16:31 IST News viral Why China Youth Are Investing In A Fake 9-To-5 Experience Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
No job? No problem — China's young adults are paying to sit in fake offices
In a struggling job market, some young adults in China are paying companies for the chance to sit in fully equipped offices. These unemployed youngsters don't want a salary. Instead, they pay for the privilege of pretending to have a job. Young adults in China are sitting in fake offices as they search for jobs (Representational image) According to a BBC report, this unusual trend has been growing in major cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Kunming, as the country's youth unemployment rate remains above 14%. 'Pretend to work' as a solution Shui Zhou, 30, joined Dongguan's Pretend To Work Company in April this year after his food business shuttered in 2024. For 30 yuan ( ₹365) a day, he shares an office with five others doing the same. "I feel very happy," he says. "It's like we're working together as a group." Zhou, who usually arrives between 8am and 9am and sometimes stays until 11pm, says the environment has improved his self-discipline. 'The other people there are now like friends,' he adds, noting they often share meals after work. Zhou is not alone in working at such pretend offices. There are several other facilities like the one where he goes every week. Daily fees at such facilities range from 30 to 50 yuan, sometimes including lunch, snacks and drinks. Rather than idly passing the day, many attendees search for jobs, work on freelance projects, or try launching start-ups. 'Very common' in China Dr Christian Yao, senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management, calls the phenomenon '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 solution,' Yao explained. Faking internships for diplomas Some unemployed youngsters use these fake offices to pretend in front of their families that they are gainfully employed. Some use the space to think and hunt for jobs in silence and privacy. For others, the motivation is more strategic. In Shanghai, 23-year-old Xiaowen Tang paid for a workstation at a pretend work company for a month earlier this year. A 2023 graduate still without a full-time job, she faced an unwritten university rule: graduates must submit proof of employment or internship within a year to receive their diploma. Tang submitted photos of herself in the office as proof. In reality, she was using the space to write online novels for pocket money. 'If you're going to fake it, just fake it to the end,' she says. For Pretend To Work Company's owner Feiyu (a pseudonym), the venture is personal. The 30-year-old was unemployed after his retail business shut during the Covid pandemic. 'What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person,' he says.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
China's job crisis spurs bizarre trend: Young Chinese pay companies just to pretend they have a job — here's why
Pretend to work trend China : In an office space in Dongguan, China, 30-year-old Shui Zhou sits at a desk from about 9am to 11pm, sipping tea, chatting with 'colleagues,' and sometimes even staying late after the manager leaves, but here's the twist, he doesn't actually work there, according to a report. In fact, he pays the company around 30 yuan ($4.20) a day for the privilege of pretending he does, as per a BBC report. Paying to 'Work': New Reality for China's Jobless Youth This is not a joke, this is the growing reality for many young Chinese adults struggling to find real jobs in a shrinking employment market, according to the report. Currently, the Chinese youth unemployment is at a stubbornly high even, at over 14%, reported BBC. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program What Is a Pretend Office? Shui is part of an emerging, strange-but-true trend in China, where unemployed youth paying to pretend to 'work' in fake offices, according to the report. However, these are real spaces with desks, computers, meeting rooms, Wi-Fi, even snacks and lunch, but with no actual employer, job responsibilities, or salaries, as reported by BBC. Instead, attendees bring their laptops, apply for jobs, launch side hustles, or just soak in the structure of a daily routine, according to the report. Some are simply there to restore a sense of purpose, others use the office setting to deceive their families or even their universities, as per the BBC report. ALSO READ: Shouting match erupts between Trump and Netanyahu over Gaza starvation pics - here's what actually happened Live Events Zhou, whose food business venture failed last year, said that, "I feel very happy. It's like we're working together as a grou," as quoted in the report. Since April, Zhou has been showing up to the mock-up office run by a business called Pretend To Work Company, in Dongguan, one of many similar operations coming up in major cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Wuhan, as per the BBC report. The goal is to escape the isolation of joblessness and cling to the dignity of a routine, according to the report. It may sound absurd to many people, but has given mental statsifaction for some, like Zhou even sent photos of the office to his parents, and he says they feel much more at ease about his lack of employment, as reported by BBC. He shared that the other people who come there are now like friends, and said that when peple are busy, they job hunting, they work hard, but when they have free time they chat, joke about, play games, and they often have dinner together after work, as reported by BBC. Zhou even said that he likes this team building, and that he is much happier than before he joined, according to the report. This trend reflects a deeper crisis, the gap between a highly educated young population and a stagnating economy is growing and so is the sense of frustration, as per the report. Dr Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management in New Zealand and an expert on the Chinese economy, explained that, "The phenomenon of pretending to work is now very common," adding, "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," as quoted by BBC. Yao highlighted that, "Pretend office companies are one of the transitional solutions," as quoted in the report. ALSO READ: Giant Wyoming data center to guzzle 5x more power than residents, but the user remains secret When 'Fake It Till You Make It' Becomes a Strategy For 23-year-old Xiaowen Tang in Shanghai, the pretend work space was a lifeline, not just emotionally, but academically, as her university requires proof of employment or internship within a year of graduation to issue a diploma, according to the BBC report. So she rented a desk for a month, snapped some photos, and sent them to her university as 'proof,' but the reality was that she paid the daily fee, and sat in the office writing online novels to earn some pocket money, as per the report. Tang said that, "If you're going to fake it, just fake it to the end," as quoted by BBC. ALSO READ: Is Google's AI revolution a threat to website traffic for digital publishers? Here are strategies to stay ahead Meet the Man Selling 'Dignity' The Pretend To Work Company's founder, who goes by the pseudonym Feiyu, a former retail entrepreneur whose business folded during the pandemic, he created the office space in April not just as a business, but as what he calls 'a social experiment,' as quoted in the report. Feiyu said that, "What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person," as quoted by BBC. He explained that, "It uses lies to maintain respectability, but it allows some people to find the truth," adding, "If we only help users prolong their acting skills we are complicit in a gentle deception," as quoted in the report. The founder also said that, "Only by helping them transform their fake workplace into a real starting point can this social experiment truly live up to its promise," as quoted in the BBC report. About 40% of his customers are recent graduates faking internship documentation, the other 60% are freelancers or digital nomads, many working on ecommerce or writing gigs, with the average age being around 30, and the youngest being 25, according to the report. Officially, these workers are called as "flexible employment professionals", a grouping that also includes ride-hailing and trucker drivers, as reported by BBC. ALSO READ: 10 must-change iOS 18.6 settings that'll make your iPhone feel like day one again FAQs Why would anyone pay to pretend to have a job? Because it gives structure, purpose, and dignity in a time when real jobs are hard to find. How much does it cost to use a pretend office? Most spaces charge between 30 yuan and 50 yuan a day ($4–$7), and often include Wi-Fi, drinks, snacks, and access to workstations, as per the BBC report. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
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First Post
2 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Why unemployed Chinese youth are paying to pretend to have jobs
A growing trend has emerged in China where the young, unemployed adults are paying companies to pretend to work. These firms are charging a daily fee between 30 and 50 yuan (about Rs 366 and 611) and offering desks, Wi-Fi, coffee, lunch, and an atmosphere mimicking a work environment. But why? read more The 'pretend to work' trend has gained popularity in China. Representational Image/Pixabay Many young people in China are getting up in the morning, dressing up and going to their 'offices'. However, they are not being paid to be there or expected to show results. These people are actually paying companies to pretend to work. This unique trend is helping the Chinese youth to hide the fact that they are unemployed from their families. Let's take a closer look. Rise of 'pretend to work' trend in China China is witnessing a surge in companies offering a 'pretend to work' service. People are paying a daily fee of 30 and 50 yuan (approximately Rs 366 and 611) to these companies, which provide them desks, Wi-Fi, coffee, lunch, and an atmosphere mimicking a work environment, as per an EL PAÍS report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The daily fees also include lunch, snacks and drinks sometimes. Those availing the services can also engage in staged supervisory rounds, deal with fake managers and even symbolic 'worker uprisings'. This trend has become popular among young, unemployed adults in China. Unemployed people in China are paying a daily fee of 30 and 50 yuan to go to 'offices'. Representational Image/Pixabay The advertisements of such companies have been circulating in Chengdu and Hangzhou. These firms have also cropped up in other major cities across China, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Kunming. 'Escapism' or stress buster? As it becomes difficult to bag jobs amid China's sluggish economy and job market, the 'pretend to work' trend is attracting the youth. They prefer to pay to go to the office rather than being stuck at home. The young Chinese are also hiding their joblessness from their close ones to avoid judgement. Shui Zhou, whose food business venture failed last year, started paying 30 yuan daily to a firm called Pretend To Work Company, in the city of Dongguan, 114 km north of Hong Kong. The 30-year-old is working with five 'colleagues' there, reported BBC. 'I feel very happy. It's like we're working together as a group,' Zhou said. The attendees are not sitting idly at these mock-up offices. Instead, they are utilising their time to find real jobs, learn new skills or even plan their own start-up businesses. Zonghua, who did not divulge her real name, has been shelling out a monthly fee of 400 yuan (Rs 4884.66) to use a comfortable space to spend her day and apply for jobs. She put in her papers in the spring of 2024 for a 'more stable life', as per the EL PAÍS report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Feiyu (a pseudonym), the owner of the Pretend To Work Company in Dongguan, told BBC, 'What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person.' He recalled being unemployed himself in the past after his previous retail business shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'I was very depressed and a bit self-destructive. You wanted to turn the tide, but you were powerless,' he said. In April this year, Feiyu started advertising Pretend To Work, with his workstations getting full within a month. Officially, these workers are known as 'flexible employment professionals', which also includes ride-hailing and trucker drivers. Feiyu said, as per BBC, that 40 per cent of customers are recent university graduates who have to furnish proof of internship experience to their former tutors. Some are there to ease pressure from their families. The other 60 per cent are freelancers, including those working for big ecommerce firms, and cyberspace writers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The trend has gained attention on mainland China's social media, with related topics amassing over 100 million (10 crore) views, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). Xiaohongshu, China's version of Instagram, is full of ads for 'pretend-to-work companies'. An online user said this helps 'ease psychological pressure' on the unemployed. However, another user criticised the trend for 'promoting escapism', arguing it obstructs the process of looking for a new job. China's high unemployment Chinese youth unemployment is at more than 14 per cent. It had reached a high of 21.3 per cent for the 16-24 age group in June 2023. However, it has since fallen, touching 15.8 per cent in April this year. The drop came after the Chinese government revised the method of calculation to exclude students. Dr Biao Xiang, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, told BBC that China's pretending to work trend arises from a 'sense of frustration and powerlessness' regarding a lack of job opportunities. '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.' In China, being jobless is a social stigma, with many viewing it as a personal failure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking to SCMP, Zhang Yong, a social work professor at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, said: 'Society places a lot of pressure on people to succeed, and young adults sometimes set their job expectations too high. The sudden shock of losing a job can lead to depression.' He advised the unemployed to seek professional counselling instead of keeping their struggles under wraps. 'They need to take an honest look at their situation, understand the job market, be open with their families and build a healthier mindset about career choices,' Zhang added. While it is popular now, will the 'pretend to work' trend last in China? Only time will tell. With inputs from agencies
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
China's unemployed young adults who are pretending to have jobs
No-one would want to work without getting a salary, or even worse – having to pay to be paying companies so you can pretend to work for them has become popular among young, unemployed adults in China. It has led to a growing number of such development comes amid China's sluggish economy and jobs market. Chinese youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, at more than 14%.With real jobs increasingly hard to come by, some young adults would rather pay to go into an office than be just stuck at Zhou, 30, had a food business venture that failed in 2024. In April of this year, he started to pay 30 yuan ($4.20; £3.10) per day to go into a mock-up office run by a business called Pretend To Work Company, in the city of Dongguan, 114 km (71 miles) north of Hong he joins five "colleagues" who are doing the same thing."I feel very happy," says Mr Zhou. "It's like we're working together as a group." Such operations are now appearing in major cities across China, including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming. More often they look like fully-functional offices, and are equipped with computers, internet access, meeting rooms, and tea rather than attendees just sitting around, they can use the computers to search for jobs, or to try to launch their own start-up businesses. Sometimes the daily fee, usually between 30 and 50 yuan, includes lunch, snacks and drinks. Dr Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management in New Zealand, is an expert on the Chinese economy."The phenomenon of pretending to work is now very common," he says. "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."Mr Zhou came across the Pretend To Work Company while browsing social media site Xiaohongshu. He says he felt that the office environment would improve his self-discipline. He has now been there for more than three Zhou sent photos of the office to his parents, and he says they feel much more at ease about his lack of attendees can arrive and leave whenever they want, Mr Zhou usually gets to the office between 8am and 9am. Sometimes he doesn't leave until 11pm, only departing after the manager of the business has adds that the other people there are now like friends. He says that when someone is busy, such as job hunting, they work hard, but when they have free time they chat, joke about, and play games. And they often have dinner together after Zhou says that he likes this team building, and that he is much happier than before he joined. In Shanghai, Xiaowen Tang rented a workstation at a pretend work company in Shanghai for a month earlier this year. The 23-year-old graduated from university last year and hasn't found a full-time job university has an unwritten rule that students must sign an employment contract or provide proof of internship within one year of graduation; otherwise, they won't receive a sent the office scene to the school as proof of her internship. In reality, she paid the daily fee, and sat in the office writing online novels to earn some pocket money."If you're going to fake it, just fake it to the end," says Ms Tang. Dr Biao Xiang, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, says that China's pretending to work trend comes from a "sense of frustration and powerlessness" regarding a lack of job opportunities."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."The owner of the Pretend To Work Company in the city of Dongguan is 30-year-old Feiyu (a pseudonym). "What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person," he himself has been unemployed in the past, after a previous retail business that he owned had to close during the Covid pandemic. "I was very depressed and a bit self-destructive," he recalls. "You wanted to turn the tide, but you were powerless."In April of this year he started to advertise Pretend To Work, and within a month all the workstations were full. Would-be new joiners have to say that 40% of customers are recent university graduates who come to take photos to prove their internship experience to their former tutors. While a small number of them come to help deal with pressure from their other 60% are freelancers, many of whom are digital nomads, including those working for big ecommerce firms, and cyberspace writers. The average age is around 30, with the youngest being 25. Officially, these workers are referred to as "flexible employment professionals", a grouping that also includes ride-hailing and trucker the longer term Feiyu says it is questionable whether the business will remain profitable. Instead he likes to view it more as a social experiment."It uses lies to maintain respectability, but it allows some people to find the truth," he says. "If we only help users prolong their acting skills we are complicit in a gentle deception."Only by helping them transform their fake workplace into a real starting point can this social experiment truly live up to its promise."Mr Zhou is now spending most of his time improving his AI skills. He says he's noticed that some companies are specifying proficiency in AI tools when recruiting. So he thinks gaining such AI skills "will make it easier" for him to find a full-time job.
