Voluntary Unemployment in China

Still on 韩秀云's book 看不懂的中国经济 (中信出版社,2008) .

In a chapter on "What Has Happened to China's Labor Force" 我国劳动力出了什么问题？", Han pointed to the emergence of what she called "voluntary unemployment." (志愿性失业)

"Voluntary unemployment" stems not from a lack of jobs, but from mainly young people who refuse to work because the pay is low, the work is considered too strenuous, or simply because they prefer to stay home.

A young person who refused to work after completing college reportedly said "My plan is to tour the world within the next few years, and then study English before studying overseas." When asked by the parent to look for a job, the young person replied, "你赚钱多没人花，这不太好吧？还是我帮你花吧。" (Or "you earn so much money but there's no one to spend it. That's not good. Let me help you spend it.")

Apart from preferring not to work, this group of young people live at home and depend financially on their parents. To make things worse, they do not exactly have frugal spending habits.

Aged between 20-30, they are also known as 啃老族 or 傍老族, or a group which sponges off or depend on the elderly.

Characteristics of 啃老族:

1. Fussy, picky, and never satisfied with any job.

2. Think that working is too tiring and stressful, and that staying at home is more comfortable.

3. Some have entrepreneurial dreams but lack real talent.

4. Prefer to job hop, eventually hopping back home.

5. Some are laid-off after working for companies that had closed down.

6. Not well-educated or highly-skilled.