BEIJING (XINHUA) – Digital transformation and technological innovation have brought about new professions requiring new skills and knowledge in various industries amid China’s endeavours to promote high-quality development.
China has added 158 new professions to its list of recognised occupations since 2015, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It started the revision work in April last year to update the edition released in 2015.
This brings the total number of professions on the newly-revised list to 1,639, according to the ministry.
Increased digital waves have affected the labour market in a variety of ways, for example, providing more types of work. The revised list identifies 97 professions related to the digital sectors.
The move is designed to meet the employment demand of the booming digital economy and support its development, especially in technological innovation and talent team construction, said director of a technical guidance centre for employment training of the ministry Wu Liduo.
A programme has been launched to provide training for digital technology engineers, which covers about 80,000 people every year, said official with the ministry Li Jinsheng.
China’s digital economy grew at an average rate of 15.9 per cent from 2012 to 2021. During the period, the share of the digital economy in its gross domestic product (GDP) expanded from 20.9 per cent to 39.8 per cent, representing an annual average increase of about 2.1 percentage points, according to a white paper on global digital economy released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
The latest edition of the list also features professions within the country’s emerging industries such as cryptographic engineering, carbon management and financial technology.
By adding the new types of jobs to the list, it is expected to boost the development of related industries, increase employment, and strengthen vocational training.
