Will China’s Gen Z, who decry toxic work cultures, yield to reality of unemployment?

China’s jobless rate among 16- to 24-year-olds has hit a record high, but even with one out of five young adults out of work, many refuse to tolerate abusive environments

Yet they also face the cruel reality that China’s economy has been slowing amid demographic shifts and rising geopolitical tensions

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China’s Gen Z seems to have fewer qualms than past generations about speaking out against cultures of overwork. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 11:00am, 17 May 2023Updated: 1:35pm, 17 May 2023

When 22-year-old Melody Yan quit her last job at a Chinese electric vehicle company, she sent a 2,000-word email to the head of the company, criticising their operational inefficiencies, detailing the lack of support for new staff and levying accusations that her supervisor sexually harassed her.

“I was there for an entire month and they didn’t assign me any work, although I asked multiple times. The organisation seems to be a mess, and there was no clear direction the company was heading in,” she said.

“My supervisor also made me feel uncomfortable when we travelled out of town for work. Other female colleagues said they also experienced the same.

“I’m not sure if my letter resulted in any consequences for the supervisor or brought about any changes, but I felt like I had to let them know about their failures.”

Even though China’s unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-olds just hit a record high of 20.4 per cent last month – meaning one of every five young adults is jobless – Yan is among a growing number of Chinese workers born in the 21st century who are speaking out against mistreatment and injustices at work. They are bent on shattering the silence surrounding toxic work cultures where working unpaid or excessive overtime has long been normalised.

Without fear of being fired or penalised for talking back, those who strive to rectify the workplace also switch jobs frequently, and they may threaten to quit if their demands are unmet, even in difficult economic times.