Flexible hiring, AI training employed for job hunters

China continues to expand its aggressive employment strategy for 2026 after hitting key labor targets last year.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the country created 12.67 million new urban jobs in 2025 while maintaining a stable unemployment rate of 5.2 percent.

Building on this momentum, central and local authorities are deploying a number of tools, from evening job fairs to artificial intelligence training, to ensure the workforce remains competitive in a fast-moving job market.

In a shift to more flexible hiring, East China's Jiangsu province in January introduced "nighttime job fairs" to cater to those who may not be able to attend traditional daytime interviews.

These regular evening sessions, with 380 events planned through to the end of February, allow job seekers to explore new opportunities without disrupting their current employment or other daytime responsibilities.

The province also launched nighttime skills training programs in January, where workers can acquire additional in-demand knowledge and skills like short-video production, pastry making and AI training without affecting their regular jobs, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The focus on digital literacy reflects a broader national priority to prepare the workforce for the impact of emerging technologies.

Xu Ying, a 25-year-old postgraduate student in Beijing, said that skills in AI and digital media are increasingly essential for staying relevant in the modern job market. "I registered for an online AI course in September to learn some basic knowledge about using and training AI to improve my competitiveness in the job market," he said.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping said that achieving full employment is a top priority for improving people's livelihoods and a key driver of the country's high-quality development.

She said the ministry will continue working to stabilize the job market in 2026 by providing stronger policy support for employers, fostering new industries and improving the efficiency and quality of employment services.

"We will step up efforts to establish early warning and response mechanisms for the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, and improve unemployment monitoring and early warning systems to support the rollout of targeted and effective policies," she said.

Wang added that supportive measures such as tax cuts and financial subsidies will be made available to employers, particularly those in labor-intensive industries, to help stabilize employment.

"More efforts will be devoted to cultivating new industries such as the digital economy and the green economy, which have greater potential for job creation, as well as to developing the county-level economy and rural vitalization initiatives to expand employment opportunities," she said.

She also stressed the importance of targeted policy support and employment services for key groups such as college graduates and migrant workers, as well as the role of skills training programs in improving career prospects and increasing incomes.