Young people eager to take new tech jobs

Young Chinese people are showing a stronger passion and talent for entering emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and robotics research and manufacturing, injecting new vitality into the nation's workforce. Industry insiders remain bullish on their performance in such sectors.

Among them is Wang Shuren, a 28-year-old Shanghai resident who shifted from working as a software engineer to a machine-learning engineer in the AI field in March. He described the transition as challenging but rewarding.

"I made the shift after taking a six-month training course at an online educational institute during my spare time," he said. "The good thing is, I have a solid knowledge base in algorithms and the patience to learn new machine-learning theories. I'm not someone who likes staying in a rut, so why not try something new while I'm still young?"

Wang said he hopes to keep pace with the times, adding that he may pursue opportunities in the humanoid robotics industry in the future.

The 28-year-old is part of a growing wave of young Chinese workers seizing opportunities brought by technological upgrades and jumping into promising fields such as AI, humanoid robotics and smart manufacturing to expand career opportunities.

Technology companies, in turn, are eager to recruit such young talent to meet rapidly growing market demand. Figures from the State Administration for Market Regulation show that as of the end of last year, China is home to about 451,700 companies in the intelligent robotics sector with registered capital totaling around 6.4 trillion yuan ($899 billion). The number of these companies surged 206.7 percent from 2020 and grew 19.4 percent from 2023.

Recruitment platform Zhaopin recently reported that both job openings and job seekers in the robotics industry grew in the first five months of the year, particularly in the humanoid robot sector, where the number of job openings and job seeker surged 409 percent and 396 percent, respectively, from January to May.

Roughly 72 percent of those seeking work in the robotics industry are under age 35, a demographic that will continue to contribute new and creative ideas to the sector's future development, according to Zhaopin.

Chinese internet giants are also intensifying their efforts to attract young talent. In mid-June, technology company Tencent launched a global algorithm competition, offering a top prize of 2 million yuan and job offers for the best performers. The competition is open to undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students worldwide.

Ye Zhihao, executive director of Guangzhou High Genius Dynamics Co, which focuses on smart robotics and manufacturing research in Guangdong province, said he is encouraged to see more young people entering the robotics industry, which offers competitive pay, policy support, growing market demand and promising prospects.

"Young people have a stronger ability to learn and embrace new ideas, and they can better adapt to industry changes," Ye said, adding that there remains significant room for young talent to shine as the industry still faces technical challenges in improving its supply chain and applying products in real-life scenarios.

Li Qiang, vice-president of Zhaopin, echoed Ye's optimism, noting that young Chinese people are well-suited to work in AI, robotics and smart manufacturing as they have grown up with the development of the internet, particularly members of Generation Z, who were born between mid-1990s to early 2010s and are characterized by their digital native status.

"The AI and robotics industries will continue to evolve and require workers with multifaceted skills," Li said. "For young people seeking to excel in these industries, it is necessary to have a solid understanding of algorithms and programming languages, the ability to work with machines, and soft skills such as innovation, problem-solving and teamwork."