Coffee shops - a haven for unemployed people pretending to work

The term “urban vagrant” has recently gone viral on Chinese social media, used to describe people who are unemployed or struggling to find work, and have to wander the streets during working hours to hide their plight from their families.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2% from January to April, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. In April 2024, the unemployment rate for young people aged 16-24, excluding college students, was 14.7%.

Zhang Ni, 35, had never lost a job in her life, but she decided to quit to take time for herself because her last job had taken a toll on her physical and mental health. Zhang Ni said the Beijing startup she worked for did not treat her equally and forced her to work too hard.

After leaving the company in November 2023, Zhang did not want her family to worry about her, so she went to the book cafe every weekday, pretending to go to work as usual. She has maintained this habit for the past 6 months.

Using the account @KouniConnie, Zhang shared on the social media platform Xiaohongshu that it was an experience that was both “nervous and fortunate.” Despite worrying about a decrease in income and lack of achievements, she still felt unable to start a new job that she did not like.

On the other hand, the period of unemployment helped her rediscover the beauty of Beijing, understanding more about the city she had lived in for many years.

A 31-year-old man surnamed Zen in Shenzhen also shared with the site.ShenranHe said he chose to hide his unemployment from his family and friends because “everywhere in this city is nei juan.” Nei juan is a trendy Chinese term used to describe the endless and seemingly futile process of surviving in the workplace.

Zen's go-to place to pretend to work is a coffee shop, where he can sit all day for minimal cost, immersing himself in study materials that he hopes will help him launch a new career.

Another young Beijinger, Liu Jinyan, 35, became an “urban wanderer” for the third time after being laid off last year. He said coffee shops are “the best shelter for middle-aged, unemployed people” because they give them space to think about their future.

There is a lot of talk on Chinese social media about the “35-year-old crisis.” Many companies refuse to hire people over 35. So if they are fired at that age, it will be difficult for them to find a new job.

On May 26, China's so-called "air conditioning queen", Gree Electric Appliances Chairman Dong Mingzhu, caused controversy when she claimed that the "35-year-old crisis" does not exist. "If no one is hiring you anymore, you can start your own business," she said.

Many people disagree with this view, and one person responded on Weibo: “We no longer live in an era where you can confidently say: Where there is a will, there is a way.”