China ‘full-time children’ re-enter job market, believe experience will ease future challenges

Three years after some Chinese youngsters chose to become “full-time children”, some said it was not a cure-all for their plight in China’s tense job market.The title “full-time children” went viral in 2023 in China, when some young people became a “full-time employee” of their parents.They received monthly salaries from their parents, ranging from 1,000 yuan (US$150) to over 5,000 yuan, depending on their parents’ pensions.In exchange, they kept their parents’ company and helped them manage difficult tasks such as operating mobile apps.A woman in white shirt takes in some fresh air as she relaxes in a park. Photo: ShutterstockSome likened full-time children to “NEETs”, which means “Not in Education, Employment or Training”.However, full-time children disagreed, saying they are providing their parents with care and emotional support that is no different from a job, and deserve salaries.Three years later, some ‘full-time children’ reflected on their experience.A woman who goes by the name Xiaoya, said she made up her mind to look for a “proper job” after working as a full-time daughter for 15 months.Xiaoya quit her previous job, also her first job, after she was isolated by her colleagues.A young artist holds a paintbrush and palette as he paints a vase of flowers. Photo: ShutterstockFearing the complicated office politics, Xiaoya told her parents she wanted to go home and prepare for civil servant examinations.Further ReadingHer decision received support from her parents, who are both civil servants.Xiaoya received a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan (US$440) from them, including the amount of her social insurance.Then one day, her parents had it enough, and scolded her on the street that she “disgraced” them because she was not working.Xiaoya said she could not have imagined that looking for a job was so difficult. She applied for jobs every day and rarely received replies.Even when she was invited to an interview, she said she was afraid of being asked about her gap year.Two young businesspeople making their way to work in China. Photo: ShutterstockThe official jobless rate for the Chinese youth in the 16-to-24 age group ranged between 14 and 18 per cent in the past years.On Chinese social media, gap time is joked about as “a crime in China”, to describe the stressful job market in China.Also, work experience that is too diverse is also frowned upon in China.To make a living, some would also reluctantly accept jobs that only allow one day off a week, or jobs that do not pay social insurance, despite it being illegal.Many so-called full-time children cook for their parents, like the woman above. Photo: ShutterstockAnother 39-year-old woman from Shanghai, who goes by the name Elle, said she became a full-time daughter to give more company to her parents, after she witnessed her father’s frustration when her grandfather died.“If I do not do it now, I might have regrets in the future,” she said.Elle’s job included full-time company, making online purchases and finding the best bargains, returning online purchases, reading manuals, substitute driving, and planning travels.She said she had stopped dating and socialising with her friends in the past few years. She was always on call for her parents.“I only get off work when they sleep,” she said.Coming from a better-off background, her father’s friends did not judge her for “not working”. Instead, they envied him for having her company.A third, Xiaoyang, quit her job that demanded her to often work overtime, and became a full-time child because she could not find an office job that provides her desired work-life balance.Her job used to be related to elderly welfare, but she said it was only when she became a full-time daughter, she realised that she had been “unaware about their life for two years.”A woman spends some quality happy time with her mother and father. Photo: ShutterstockWhile helping her parents to adapt to the digital world, Xiaoyang said she also got to know them better, and became more prepared and less painful when their time comes in the future.The fear about their parents’ death is shared by many single children in China like Xiaoyang, especially those who also reject marriage. It is also a driving force behind some’s decision to become a full-time child.In 2025, China’s total number of births fell for a fourth year, dropping to 7.92 million.Meanwhile, the ageing population kept rising. The proportion of the population aged 60 and above has increased by around one per cent annually in recent years, reaching 23 per cent in 2025.