Shared beds, shrinking budgets: China’s young workers feel economic squeeze

Residential buildings under construction at the China Vanke Co. Isle Maison development in Shanghai, China, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Concerns over China Vanke spiked amid questions on the latest status of its top executive and a local news report that the property developer may be seized by state authorities. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

July 29 - Chinese sales agent Winnie Zeng has taken an unusual step to protect herself from an uncertain future: she now shares her rented bed with a stranger to cut costs.

Frustrated by stagnant pay and worried about losing her job, the 25-year-old from the central city of Wuhan recently invited another woman to move into her bedroom, slashing her monthly rent bill by 450 yuan (US$66) and helping her keep roughly three quarters of her 4,000-yuan monthly income.

What might once have seemed unthinkable - unrelated adults sharing the same room and even their bed to save money - is emerging as a symbol of the financial pressures confronting many young Chinese.

“It’s a matter of survival,” said Zeng, who spends long hours on social media livestreams showcasing consumer items that her company sells.

“If you have no money, your ability to withstand risks is extremely weak the moment you stop working.”

Bedroom-sharing topic sparks social media debate

In late June, the hashtag “sharing a bed is a hardship beyond my comprehension” racked up more than 14 million views on Weibo, China’s X-like platform, while related content drew nearly 40 million views on TikTok’s sister app, Douyin.

Searches for “bed-sharing” on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu returned more than 37,000 posts, where Zeng advertised her room, including from people seeking roommates willing to share a bedroom - and sometimes the same bed.

Though still a niche practice among China’s estimated 260 million renters, its rise offers a revealing snapshot of an economy where consumers remain cautious and jobs feel increasingly insecure for many young workers.

“It reflects a growing reality in which a segment of young people lacks a sense of urban belonging, stable long-term employment and clear income prospects,” said Mingwei Liu, director at the Center for Global Work and Employment at Rutgers University.

If that mindset becomes more widespread, Liu said, it could dampen household spending, property demand, and marriage rates, creating longer-term challenges for the economy.

Data this month showed economic growth slowing to its weakest in more than three years, with strong exports and industrial output overshadowed by flatlining consumption.

Zeng and her new roommate, also 25, share one of the apartment’s five bedrooms - each of them rented separately.

Her room has a built-in wardrobe and a large bed, flanked by a nightstand and a tiny desk. A laundry rack partly blocks a small window with metal bars.

The two women agreed to an eight-day trial period before their longer-term cohabitation and Zeng says they get along well.

“It feels good to come home and know someone is waiting for you there,” she said.

‘Pressure of life’

For many, however, the trend is less about companionship than financial necessity.

Beijing resident Morgan Pan, 39, currently earns less than half of the 30,000-40,000 yuan annual income he made at an AI startup that is now in bankruptcy proceedings. He began sharing his bedroom recently to cut rental and utilities costs to about 1,200 yuan per month. His roommate is also struggling financially after a failed restaurant investment left him burdened with debt.

There is “nothing heart-warming” in his predicament, Pan said, just the “pressure of life.”

Another Beijing resident, who gave only his surname Wang, is searching for someone to share his room and split the 1,750-yuan monthly rent after losing his job at a civil-engineering firm that collapsed in December.

“I haven’t been able to find a suitable job for the time being,” said Wang, who hasn’t found a roommate yet. “I can only try to reduce my financial pressure.”

Back in Wuhan, Zeng has embraced a frugal lifestyle, cooking at home and giving up expensive clothes as she builds a financial cushion.

The online fascination with bed-sharing doesn’t bother her and she says she might continue doing it even if she earned more.

“Starting salaries are quite low, the cost of living is quite high - you just have to make a bit of a compromise,” said Zeng.

“When people say society has come to this, it’s the absolute truth.”

(US$1 = 6.7687 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Reuters