But this year, many said they were worried what they might find when, or even if, their employers call them back.
"I feel 2023 was quite difficult," said Wang Jinzhu, looking back at the past year at the electric toothbrush maker where he works. Sales were down 30% at the business that exports most of its products to the U.S. and Europe.
China's economy grew 5.2% last year. But for many - including unemployed graduates, property owners who feel poorer as their flats lost value and the workers earning less that a year ago - it felt like it was shrinking.
Nie Yating, who has worked in a Shanghai pet hospital for the past six months, said many of her colleagues saw their monthly pay drop by at least 1,000 yuan ($139) as the business continued to struggle to get back on its feet after the COVID lockdowns.
