Burnt out or jobless - meet China's 'full-time children' - BBC News

Gruelling work hours and a dismal job market are forcing young Chinese to make unusual choices.

15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Young Chinese are increasingly overworked or struggling to find jobsBy Sylvia Chang & Kelly Ngin Hong Kong and SingaporeOverworked and exhausted, Julie gave up her job as a game developer in Beijing this April to be a "full-time daughter".

The 29-year-old now spends her day washing dishes, preparing meals for her parents, and doing other household chores. Julie's parents pay for most of her daily expenses but she has refused their offer of a monthly wage of 2,000 yuan ($280; £215).

Her current priority, after all, is to get a breather from the 16-hour days in her previous job. "I lived like a walking corpse," she said.

Gruelling work hours and a dismal job market are forcing young Chinese to make unusual choices.

Julie is part of a growing cohort that call themselves "full-time children" who are driven back to the comfort of home either because they are craving a break from their exhausting work lives, or they simply cannot find a job.