China has witnessed the emergence of various new professions in recent years, thanks to the rapid development of digital technologies and the expansion of labor categories. These emerging roles have opened up more employment opportunities in the country. According to a national classification of occupations, China recorded a total of 1,639 identified professions in 2022, which was an increase of 158 compared to 2015. Notably, 6% of these new roles were directly related to digital technology.
With fierce competition in the domestic job market, young Chinese workers are increasingly drawn to these burgeoning professions. These include positions in machine learning engineering, AI programming, pet nursing, and house caretaking. Among these new roles, virtual architecture stands out. Commonly associated with the gaming industry and animations, virtual architecture employs various software and artificial intelligence algorithms to create immersive experiences for gamers, film audiences, and virtual reality users.
Wang, a recent graduate in gaming and entertainment, is a virtual architect who is optimistic about the future prospects of his job. He highlights that virtual architects can also work on creating different scenarios online, catering to user demands for online exhibitions, 3D meeting rooms, and online press conferences.
Other new roles in the digital technology field are also gaining popularity among job seekers due to their promising prospects and flexibility. Large language models, intelligent manufacturing, and AI-generated content are particularly favored options, expected to attract more graduates in 2023, according to available data.
Chen Yun, the director of the employment and entrepreneurial research office at the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security, acknowledges the emergence of these new job roles. He emphasizes that to meet individualized needs, various service occupations have also arisen, including dog walking, decluttering, and door-to-door cooking. Ma Xiaoyi, a declutterer, leads a team that specializes in organizing and tidying up customers’ homes. She customizes her decluttering plans based on her customers’ lifestyles and preferences, using sorting, selecting, clearing, and displaying techniques to create a tidy and comfortable living space.
Ma has expanded her business by offering parent-child decluttering classes, related books, and video courses. She believes that her profession holds great promise. Li Qiang, the executive vice president of Zhaopin, an online local recruitment platform in China, also acknowledges the significance of these new job roles. He encourages the younger generation to embrace these opportunities with a positive attitude.
In addition to digital technology-related roles, new professions are also emerging in the fields of child and elderly care. With diverse needs in these areas, the introduction of a new law on family education will soon bring about the creation of a new profession – family education tutor. Experts predict that this role alone will generate over a million jobs once industry standards are established.
A report published in July 2023 by Zhaopin Platform and the National School of Development of Peking University highlights that China’s workforce has not fully adapted to AI technology, with white-collar workers in fields such as secretarial work, marketing, and finance being the most affected.
