Aug 24, 2025
In July, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2%, which is relatively low. In China, it was 5.2%, according to Trading Economics data. But, as in the U.S., younger workers in China are disproportionately impacted.
While 7.4% of Gen Z Americans remain unemployed according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for Chinese workers aged 16 to 24, the unemployment rate as of June was nearly double at a whopping 14.5%. It’s perhaps little surprise, then, that some are turning to coworking spaces to mimic the job experience — even if they’re not actually making any money.
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In fact, young Chinese job seekers are paying to spend their waking hours in fake office setups run by Pretend to Work Company. It's a setup that's supposed to make people feel employed, minus the paycheck and an actual job, according to Fortune.
Why young Chinese job seekers are spending money on pretend work
At a cost of $4.20 to $7 per day, it might seem like renting out a desk in a coworking space isn't such an expensive prospect. And it’s a good way to get out of the house and be among likeminded peers — one benefit of working in an office.
But as Fortune reports, Chinese workers aged 16 to 24 typically only earn around $16,000 per year. As such, spending up to $35 to $49 per week to get the office experience is a costly endeavor — especially when there is no paycheck on the other end.
So why are young workers drawn to such spaces? For some, it's an opportunity to make friends, build connections and enjoy free lunch, snacks and drinks. But for others, it's a matter of motivation.
If you're paying to have a space to do work in, you may be more inclined to do actual work — even if you're not being paid. That work could come in the form of working on your own business, reaching out to companies that may be hiring, writing cover letters, or even hammering away at a freelance business to earn a little bit of money before a more permanent job presents itself.
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Are pretend workspaces an effective transitional solution?
Pretend work spaces in China are sometimes called a "transitional solution" for young people who can't find jobs. But are they effective?
It can be argued that if going to an office setting motivates people to actually be active job seekers, then yes, they're effective. However, for now, it’s impossible to know whether such spaces actually improve the odds of landing a job. And, for people who are just as motivated to look for work from home, there may be little point to spending money on an already-limited income just to rent a different desk under a different roof to do the same thing.
It can be especially wasteful for younger job seekers to spend money on a coworking space, since they may be less likely than their older counterparts to have savings or some type of safety net. This holds true in China as well as the U.S.
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In the U.S., 42% of Americans do not have an emergency fund, says U.S. News & World Report. Anyone who's struggling to find a job and doesn't have emergency savings should probably be cutting all unnecessary spending.
That said, while American job-seekers may not be patronizing “pretend to work” spaces in droves closer to home, that doesn't mean unemployed Americans of all ages shouldn't take advantage of the free resources that are available to them. This is especially true if they lack resources, such as a computer, at home. In the U.S., there are nearly 2,300 American Job Centers that offer job seekers access to resources such as:
- Internet and phone service
- Job training services
- Career counseling
- Practice interviews
You can go here to find one near you.
Of course, there’s something to be said for getting out of the house every day and conducting a job search from an office-like environment. If you can afford it, the mental health benefit may be worth the cost.
That said, in a 2024 iHire survey, around half of employment seekers said their job hunt was negatively impacting their mental health. So being in a room full of other unemployed people could go either way too; it could improve your outlook by having people who share your goals, or it could make you feel like your prospects are even bleaker because there’s lots of competition. If you feel that the latter is more likely, aggressively job-hunting from home might be a better bet.
And while Americans may not yet share enthusiasm for faux offices, the two nations do have this in common: both the U.S. and China have a thriving gig economy — and in times of job scarcity, finding gig work might help job-seekers earn a bit of money even as they continue to search for something more permanent.
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Maurie Backman has been writing professionally for well over a decade. Since becoming a full-time writer, she's produced thousands of articles on topics ranging from Social Security to investing to real estate.
