【Epoch Times August 26, 2025】In China, the economy is rapidly declining, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to survive and creating intense competition in the job market. Recently, several workers have faced incidents of “unpaid trial employment,” sparking attention on social media.
According to the Workers Daily, during the recruitment process, some companies are setting up trial periods ranging from 3 to 10 days after interviews. As the trial period nears its end, the workers are dismissed citing reasons like “lack of experience” or “mismatched skills,” and the companies refuse to pay for the trial period. When workers attempt to claim their wages through complaints or labor arbitration, the lack of a signed labor contract becomes a challenging issue in proving the employment relationship.
Mr. Li, a resident of Mudanjiang, saw a job posting for a photography studio in Harbin in August 2024. After submitting his resume, the boss quickly contacted him. Following a few photo editing trials which received approval, Mr. Li agreed on the salary and starting date, and even rented a house in Harbin in preparation for the job.
However, on his first day of work, Mr. Li was informed by the boss that he had to undergo a 7-day “unpaid trial employment.” Considering the sunk costs of coming from another city, Mr. Li reluctantly agreed to the requirement. Despite satisfying the clients during the trial period, the boss claimed the results were not as expected upon resignation. When Mr. Li requested payment for the 6 days of work, the boss insisted that he would not receive any payment for not meeting the requirements, as several other photo editors had experienced the same situation.
In April this year, Ms. Wen applied for a children’s programming teacher position at an educational institution in Lanzhou and was asked to undergo a week-long trial period. After completing two trial classes, the institution rejected her citing “lack of experience” and suggested she switch to a substitute teacher position. When Ms. Wen demanded payment for the trial period, the institution argued that she was only learning during the trial and should not receive any compensation.
According to the Cover News, on June 26, job seeker Ms. Yuan shared her experience during the graduation season with the media, stating, “I interviewed for a job where they requested a trial period.”
When Ms. Yuan submitted her resume on a job recruitment website, she encountered a company’s request for unpaid trial employment. She said, “They asked for a 7-day trial period with no contract signed, along with work tasks. Payment would only be given after the trial period. I immediately refused.” Ms. Yuan mentioned that she applied for a human resources recruitment position, where the company indicated there would be interview tasks during the trial period, offering a subsidy of only 220 yuan for 7 days, to be paid after completing the trial period.
The reporter’s investigation revealed that many netizens shared similar experiences of facing such demands during job interviews. One netizen mentioned being asked for a 7-day trial during an interview, only to be told they did not pass the assessment at the end. Reluctantly, she called the labor hotline and after intervention from the relevant authorities, the company reluctantly agreed to pay her, albeit at the local minimum wage rate.
Besides the uncertainty of wages during the trial period, netizens also expressed concerns about whether subsequent contracts could be signed smoothly after the trial period, as it could lead to not being able to sign a contract with the employer upon completion of the agreed trial period.
Recently, “unpaid trial employment” has become a hot topic on the internet.
Netizens shared their experiences, with one saying, “I’ve been through three trials, it’s disgusting, working for nothing, it’s like being a loss-making employee. The first trial lasted a week, the second the same, and the third two weeks, didn’t feel right so I didn’t continue.” Another commented, “My company had a month-long trial, didn’t receive a penny in the first month.” There were various complaints about companies employing this practice and how it affects job seekers negatively.
Executive Director and General Manager of Houen Investment, Zhang Yankun, analyzed the issue in-depth, stating that in the current job market, “unpaid trial employment” is like a hidden trap for many workers, as the number of job seekers keeps increasing, leading to rampant illegal labor practices. In popular industries like the internet and education training, some companies frequently employ the guise of “unpaid trial employment” to obtain a large workforce at very low costs. Some companies even establish “trial task forces” to rigorously control trial employees and dismiss them for various reasons as the trial period nears its end.
The analysis further mentioned that encountering “unpaid trial employment” can bring feelings of anger and helplessness. Anger stems from the greed and shamelessness of companies exploiting job seekers’ anxieties and labor’s efforts, while helplessness arises from the fierce job competition where many job seekers have to compromise for a job opportunity.