Not Companies But Youngsters in China Pay Money to Firms; Here's Why?

These young people don't want a salary but only privilege of pretending that they have a job.

As per a report by the BBC, this unusual trend has been growing in major Chinese cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Kunming, even as the country’s youth unemployment rate remains above 14%.

In one of such instances, Shui Zhou, 30, joined Dongguan’s pretend to work company in April of this year. After his food company was closed. He stays there for 30 yuan (₹365) a day, and sits in the office with five others who do the same.

Zhou, who usually arrives, usually arrives at the office by 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and leaves by 11 p.m., says the setting has boosted his self-discipline.

He says, "I feel very happy. It's like we're working together as a group."

“The other people there are now like friends,” he adds, while mentioning they often share meals after work.

Zhou is not the sole person working at such pretend offices; instead, there are many such facilities where he goes weekly.

The daily rate ranges from 30 to 50 yuan per day at such facilities, which frequently covers their lunch, snacks, and dinners.

Instead of passing the time, many attendees look for a job, work on freelance assignments and even try to launch their own start-ups.

A senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Management, Dr Christian Yao, says this phenomenon is 'very common in China.'

He expounds, "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."

Some unemployed youths use these phony offices to convince their families of having a steady job, while others use them to find one or two and get some privacy.

Meanwhile, some youngsters are using them for a strategic purpose.

Xiaowen Tang, 23, from Shanghai is a 2023 graduate without a full-time job.

Earlier this year, she rented a desk at a fake workplace for a month, to navigate the unwritten rules of the university, i.e; to receive a college diploma, graduates must provide proof of employment or an internship within a year.

Tang sent her photos to the office as proof. However, in truth, she was writing online novels to earn some pocket money.

"If you’re going to fake it, just fake it to the end," she said.

For Feiyu, 30, (name changed), who runs the Pretend To Work Company, this venture is personal.

After his retail business was shut, during the Covid Pandemic, Feiyu was jobless.

He says, “What I’m selling isn’t a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person."