China Announces Employment Measures Amid AI Development

Li Zhong, vice minister of human resources and social security, spoke at a State Council Information Office press conference on Oct. 10.[2] He listed an employment-promotion initiative among five measures, rather than presenting it as a stand-alone policy.[2] The other measures cover a training initiative called “Skills Illuminate the Future,” employment promotion for migrant workers, high-quality public employment services and integration of human-resources services with other fields.[2] Li said the government would address the effects of AI and other emerging technologies on employment while promoting responsible technology development and quality employment.[1]

The employment initiative sits alongside broader policy directions described by Chinese authorities.[1] China’s 2026 government work report called for adapting to AI development to support employment and entrepreneurship.[1] A five-year plan for implementing the employment-first strategy identifies promoting employment amid AI advances as a key task.[1] That plan calls for creating jobs through AI applications and drawing on potential in traditional sectors.[1] These goals point to a two-sided policy approach: supporting employment opportunities related to AI while responding to how the technology changes work.[1]

One recruitment platform recorded an approximately 789% year-over-year increase in new-economy AI-related job postings from January to July.[1] Demand was particularly strong for AI engineers, including those working in automotive manufacturing and intelligent driving.[1] The figures offer a signal of hiring activity on that platform, but the evidence does not establish that the increase represents the entire job market.[1] China’s core AI industry exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan in scale and included more than 6,200 enterprises, while AI adoption across key industries had surpassed 80%.[1]

China introduced 72 new occupations over the preceding five years, including AI trainers and carbon-emissions managers, and authorities announced 11 additional occupations since the start of 2026.[1] The human-resources ministry plans a regular mechanism to identify new occupations in AI, the digital economy, green development and modern services.[1] During the 2026–2030 15th Five-Year Plan period, it plans to formulate or revise more than 200 national occupational standards.[1] Separately, four government bodies issued an opinion dated June 22, 2026, targeting roughly 20 AI application scenarios and exploration of pathways for roughly 50 high-value scenarios in human-resources and social-security services.[3] The opinion also calls for identifying employers’ recruitment needs and workers’ job-seeking intentions, and for assessing AI’s employment impact through a dedicated system and surveys.[3]