More occupations bolstering China's employment market

China is spearheading job creation through the introduction of new occupations, providing diverse career paths and high-quality employment opportunities.

The move, led by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, will align talent development with emerging fields and bridge skill gaps, an official said on Tuesday.

According to data released by the ministry on the same day, China added 6.95 million new urban jobs nationwide in the first half of the year, achieving 58 percent of this year's target and maintaining a year-on-year urban unemployment rate of 5 percent in June.

Various policies including introducing new occupations have been implemented to support job stability, the ministry said, adding that from August last year to date, it has launched 17 new occupations and 42 new job types.

Wang Xiaojun, deputy head of the ministry's department of vocational capacity building, said at a news conference in Beijing that the creation of new occupations generates a greater number of high-quality employment opportunities. "It provides workers with broader and more diverse career development paths," she said.

The rapid growth of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data, is creating numerous new digital professions, Wang said, citing AI-generated animation producers and unmanned aerial vehicle swarm flight planners as examples of roles emerging in response to the evolving job market.

By the end of 2024, there were about 1.62 million registered UAV owners in China, which was double the number compared with the previous year, she noted.

Wang also highlighted the rise of new professions catering to evolving consumer needs, such as indoor environmental specialists, sleep health managers and customized travel photography planners.

"The ministry plans to establish standards, enhance training and align talent development with market demands to bridge talent gaps in emerging fields," she said.

Li Chang'an, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics' Academy of China Open Economy Studies, said the release of a new catalog each year serves, regulates and manages emerging roles.

"The emergence of numerous new roles is followed by training activities. The primary goals of releasing new occupations are standardization and training, which enable individuals to hold qualification certificates for the new positions," he said.

New occupations play a crucial role in guiding employment, Li said. "Individuals, especially young people, are made aware of diverse job opportunities, prompting them to engage in career guidance tailored to evolving occupational categories," he added.

The Chinese government will conduct subsidized training for 10 million candidates annually over the next three years as yet another tool to enhance employment.

Furthermore, the government will add positions in key sectors in the digital, green, silver and nighttime economies.