Why China Still Has a Six-Day Workweek (6 photos)

The Chinese government is fighting for work-life balance among the Chinese, scared by the big drop in the birth rate (and marriage statistics in general). The authorities are trying to normalize two-day weekends. As you can imagine, companies and businesses don't give a damn about this. One-day weekends remain the norm in many workplaces and schools in China.





There were hopes that the slowdown in production would force companies to give people days off. But no.

Job Market in China

In fact, if you look at job postings, even in vacancies it will be difficult to find our normal weekends on weekends. Most jobs offer either a one-day day off or a “flashing” big and small day off every other week. Although the Chinese authorities declared the “996” schedule illegal in 2021, many companies still use such a schedule at least twice a month.



Literally everyone in China knows about the 996 system

How is the government fighting this? In March this year, the National Development and Reform Commission proposed an action plan that would prohibit employers from extending workers' working hours and require companies to provide a paid annual leave system. The State Council also increased the number of statutory holidays this year, increasing the total from 11 to 13 days. Did you know that many schools used to force students to study on Saturdays? I studied like that under the new curriculum here, and it was terrible. On Sunday, you just do the homework you didn't have time for during the school week. Now, the government has ordered middle schools across China to have two days off a week.





Imagine, a school assembly, and EVERYONE CAME

The Ministry of Education even published a list of primary and secondary schools that violated the rules by holding unauthorized classes on April 11. As the Ministry wrote, all violators will be subject to "repression." Of course, these are just reprimands and fines, but it sounds funny. Of course, the schools simply got around it and held classes on weekends under the pretext that students can come to school for independent study. That is, everyone is "forced voluntarily."



The Chinese are really hard workers, such a crowd goes to work in the morning, it's even a little scary

Of course, everyone goes, afraid to fall behind. And those who refuse to go, their parents kick them out of the house so that their child can compete with millions of others. At the same time, with the youth unemployment rate in China, which at its peak reached 25%, employers are not at all worried that they will not find anyone for such slave conditions. Every year, 12.22 million graduates from Chinese universities. In fact, the two-day weekend that both students and office workers in China strive for was written into national policy 30 years ago.



In recent years, the workload of Chinese workers has actually increased, although there is no particular reason for it.

In 1995, then-Chinese Premier Li Peng signed a State Council decree mandating a five-day workweek, with employees working eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. Although Chinese authorities made the “996” schedule illegal in 2021, many companies even include overtime hours in performance reviews: “You need to work more than 40 hours of overtime per month to avoid a performance penalty.” PENALTY if you don’t work 40 hours overtime!



HR is like this: we only hire people who have 28 hours in a day!

Companies are not ready to accept a reduction in profits, which entails a two-day work stoppage. It's funny that they can hire people in shifts, thereby reducing the unemployment rate, if everyone works at their standard. But there is only one thing that stops them - forcing one person to work overtime is more profitable than hiring two to work according to legal rules. But everyone has resigned themselves to it: both employers and workers, only the state is running around, trying to do at least something. That's the feeling one gets.