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China’s youth ‘lie flat’ as economy slows, with ‘free time worth more than several thousand yuan’
- China’s youth jobless rate rose to a record high of 21.3 per cent in June amid an economy still struggling to return to pre-pandemic growth levels
- ‘Lying flat’ is a Chinese term used to describe people who work just enough to afford to spend their time on what they enjoy
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Faced with diminishing job prospects as the economy slows, Chu Yi is choosing to “lie flat”, a Chinese term used to describe people who work just enough to afford to spend their time on what they enjoy.
The Shanghai-based 23-year-old used to work at a fashion company, but said she quit her job two years ago because she had to frequently work overtime and she hated her boss.
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Chinese youth trades corporate life for tattoo art as economy slows
Chinese youth trades corporate life for tattoo art as economy slows
Chu now works from home just one day a week for a travel company, which gives her ample time to practice tattooing as part of a six-month apprenticeship towards becoming a full-time tattoo artist.
And she is not alone in “lying flat”: although there is no data on how many young Chinese are opting out of corporate jobs that they traditionally would have taken, the youth jobless rate rose to a record high of 21.3 per cent in June amid an economy still struggling to return to pre-pandemic growth levels, and several Chinese college graduates have said that they are trading down to find a source of income.
“For me, there is not much meaning to work,” Chu said. “Most of it seems to be finishing work for your manager and making your manager happy. So I decided I don’t want to work.”
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