{"id":183151,"date":"2025-11-16T05:14:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T05:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/183151\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T05:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T05:14:21","slug":"chinas-unemployed-gen-z-are-proudly-calling-themselves-rat-people-theyre-spending-all-day-in-bed-in-a-rebellion-against-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/183151\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s unemployed Gen Z are proudly calling themselves \u2018rat people\u2019\u2014they\u2019re spending all day in bed in a rebellion against burnout"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Millions of Gen Z around the world are <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/03\/25\/gen-z-neet-not-in-education-employment-training-higher-ed-worthless-degrees-college\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:currently jobless;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">currently jobless<\/a>. <\/strong>A significant chunk of young <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/06\/21\/gen-z-neets-not-in-employment-education-or-training\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NEETS;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">NEETS<\/a>\u2014\u201cnot in employment, education, or training\u201d\u2014are well-qualified and want to work, but <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/07\/03\/neets-perfect-storm-highly-trained-workers-new-unemployables-korn-ferry\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:just can\u2019t land a job;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">just can\u2019t land a job<\/a>. And then there\u2019s \u201crat people\u201d who are taking to social media to celebrate ditching work for a slower life. Experts say it\u2019s a \u201cquiet protest\u201d against burnout and the current job market.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The millennial era of \u201cwork hard, play harder\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2023\/10\/04\/snail-girl-workplace-trend-girlboss\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\u201cgirl bossing\u201d;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\u201cgirl bossing\u201d<\/a> has given way to a new trend. In China, at least, Gen Zers are proudly calling themselves \u201crat people\u201d\u2014they\u2019re spending entire days procrastinating in bed, scrolling on their phones, snoozing, and ordering take out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Across <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/weibo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Weibo;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Weibo<\/a>, RedNote, Douyin, you can find videos of the youngest generation of adults waking up, only to go back to bed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Somewhere in Zhejiang, a province in eastern China, one young woman regularly shares on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) her horizontal schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a video about her day as a \u201cdomestic rat,\u201d @<a href=\"https:\/\/www.douyin.com\/user\/MS4wLjABAAAAQVIdifuk5RoX1Hp-2nVuMpnSxYROnYdV60KctzdhTtQ\/search\/jiawensishi?aid=c55bbcf3-8291-4cbc-84d1-6b8f83f6317a&amp;modal_id=7485677285228465419&amp;type=general\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:jiawensishi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">jiawensishi<\/a> highlights how she woke up at midday, doom scrolled until 3pm, lounged around her house (mostly glued to her phone on the sofa), before getting back into bed before 8pm to spend the remainder of her evening switching between napping and scrolling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She satirically likens her reclusive \u201clow-energy\u201d routine to that of a rat\u2014and her videos racked up hundreds of thousands of likes and inspiring others to follow suit. And for many of the \u201crat people\u201d commenting on her videos, her lethargic schedule is still too fast-paced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cYou\u2019re still too high-energy for me,\u201d one person wrote. \u201cI don\u2019t even sit on the sofa. I lie on the bed from the time I wake up and go to the toilet until I have to eat, then I get up to eat and then lie back down. I can live like this for a week without going out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cGod, I think I am even more of a rat than the blogger,\u201d another commented. \u201cI only eat one meal a day and spend the rest of the time lying down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Another viewer echoed they only get up to eat once daily and \u201ccan go for several days without washing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Burned-out Gen Z<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite having a fun new name, it\u2019s not the first time China\u2019s broke and burned-out youth have taken to a life spent horizontally, instead of up the corporate ladder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2021, Gen Z and young millennials started rejecting China\u2019s culture of long hours and hard work by \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-02-10\/why-some-chinese-are-lying-flat-and-what-it-means-quicktake\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:lying flat;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">lying flat<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Instead of following the \u201c996\u201d norm (working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week), many said they weren\u2019t working at all\u2014or were doing the bare minimum to get by.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And it\u2019s exactly what many Gen Zers in the West are doing too: In recent years, the youngest generation of workers has introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2023\/02\/13\/bare-minimum-monday-is-the-latest-workplace-trend-hitting-productivity\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Bare Minimum Mondays;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Bare Minimum Mondays<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2023\/07\/11\/zaid-khan-quiet-quitting-gen-z-quits-job\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:quiet quitting;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">quiet quitting<\/a> to the working world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some have similarly modeled the laid-back lifestyle of another slow animal: <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2023\/10\/04\/snail-girl-workplace-trend-girlboss\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:snails;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">snails<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Others have ditched employment entirely and become NEETs (\u201cnot in employment, education, or training\u201d)<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/06\/21\/gen-z-neets-not-in-employment-education-or-training\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:by choice;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> by choice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Whether it\u2019s in China, the U.S. or Europe, Gen Z\u2019s clear hustle rejection is in direct response to a tougher and more demanding job market than ever before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Millennials are the most educated generation in history, with Gen Z closely following behind. Yet their <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/article\/gen-z-work-ethic-vs-millennials-problem-habits-young-adults-workplace-employees\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:financial prospects and chances of getting hired;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">financial prospects and chances of getting hired<\/a> are significantly dimmer than those of Gen <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/twitter\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">X<\/a> graduates. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Today, more than 4 million American Gen Zers remain jobless. In China, the government said as of February, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/quote\/CNUESU24:Index\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:1 in 6 young people;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">1 in 6 young people<\/a> are unemployed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThis trend is more than Gen Z disengaging, it\u2019s a quiet protest by young people responding to burnout, disillusionment and a job market that feels both punishing and uninviting,\u201d Advita Patel, a confidence and career coach, and president of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, tells Fortune.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhen you\u2019re endlessly applying for jobs and being ghosted or rejected, it can be incredibly damaging to confidence and mental wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Essentially, rather than chasing jobs they see as out of reach, embracing the \u201crat\u201d lifestyle is a way for young people to reclaim a sense of control over their own lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIt\u2019s not laziness, it\u2019s life and direction fatigue and opting out of life becomes an attractive option to protect your mental health,\u201d Patel adds.<\/p>\n<p>Gen Z can turn their careers around<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the short term, dealing with the <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/11\/07\/why-cant-i-find-a-job-low-hire-fire-labor-market\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:current job market crisis;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">current job market crisis<\/a> by checking out can give you a temporary illusion of relief. However, in the long term, it won\u2019t get you any closer to landing a job. And, as Eloise Skinner, author and psychotherapist, tells Fortune, it could lead to you feeling further deflated down the line. Really, once you\u2019re ready to dig your head out of the sand, you may be in an even worse position than you were to start with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIt\u2019s certainly hard to deal with constant rejection. But those who put themselves into challenging positions are likely to develop skills of resilience and adaptability\u2014as well as being ready for opportunities when they do arise\u2014whereas those who decide not to participate in the process may feel themselves falling behind their peers and friends,\u201d Skinner warns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But not all is lost: As long as time out remains a temporary reset rather than a permanent retreat, most young people can bounce back\u2014and some may even return to the job market with a clearer sense of purpose and direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cGen Z are probably early enough in their career to be able to take some time out,\u201d Skinner says, pointing to gap years as an example. \u201cUniversity can be a high-intensity, challenging environment, and many people take time out afterwards to rediscover personal passions, figure out career options, and enjoy a break after studying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She recommends using that time to reconnect with your sense of purpose. \u201cTry asking yourself: What makes me excited in life? What do I care about most? Which big problems in the world would I like to solve? Using initial answers to these questions might help a person connect with their unique sense of mission and vision, and from there, a person could research related internships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Just don\u2019t advertise your time as a \u201crat person\u201d online\u2014future recruiters might stumble on your content and \u201cfind the attitude to be in opposition to the company\u2019s values,\u201d Skinner warns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For those ready to rejoin the world of work, easing back in gradually can make the transition less daunting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cFor any Gen Zs stuck in this rut, my advice is to start small, but to start,\u201d Leona Burton, career coach and founder of the professional community Mums in Business International, advises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cYou don\u2019t need to have it all figured out overnight, so reach out to someone you trust, make one positive decision a day, and stop measuring success by someone else\u2019s timeline,\u201d she tells Fortune. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a part-time role, starting a side hustle or simply getting dressed and going for a walk, without your phone, every small step counts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cAbove all, remember this: You are not behind, you are not broken, and you are not alone, but you do need to do the work and make that change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A version of this story originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Fortune.com<\/a> on May 11, 2025. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This story was originally featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/11\/14\/china-unemployed-gen-z-rat-people-rebelling-against-workplace-burnout\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Fortune.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Millions of Gen Z around the world are currently jobless. A significant chunk of young NEETS\u2014\u201cnot in employment,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[79,381,103283,179,18,300,19,17,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-183151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-china","10":"tag-eastern-china","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-gen-z","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-job-market"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115557673409593936","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}