https://www.scmp.com/rss/509782/feed China has always placed a high priority on support for the jobs market, seeing a high level of employment as connected to overall social stability. In addition, the working element of the country’s 1.4 billion population is a key for driving economic growth. A major concern for Beijing is ensuring employment for the rising number of fresh university and college graduates who enter the work force every year, as well as the rising number of retires who need to be supported via the pension fund by... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Carol Yang Carol Yang The threat to employment posed by artificial intelligence was not a “robot apocalypse” that would steal jobs, but “algorithmic collusion” that could quietly erode wages and workplace safety, Ekkehard Ernst, the International Labour Organization’s chief macroeconomist, warned in Beijing on Tuesday. While public anxiety frequently centred on the potential for AI to trigger a mass wave of unemployment, Ernst said its disruptive potential had been overestimated. “I don’t think that we are anywhere... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348124/ai-collusion-forcing-down-wages-bigger-threat-job-stealing-robots-ilo-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348124/ai-collusion-forcing-down-wages-bigger-threat-job-stealing-robots-ilo-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Chinese government advisers are calling for government-set “red lines” in artificial intelligence development and applications, as mounting threats of job displacement and data security challenges spark concerns in the country. Jiang Xiaojuan, former deputy secretary general of the State Council, said at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in Hainan province that precaution was needed when using AI simply to reduce labour costs. “Those that do not improve service quality or promote... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347940/job-fears-security-risks-spark-call-chinese-government-red-lines-ai-applications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347940/job-fears-security-risks-spark-call-chinese-government-red-lines-ai-applications?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Emma Zang Emma Zang China is betting artificial intelligence will solve its labour shortage, as policymakers ramp up a nationwide push to deploy AI and robotics across the economy. But it may be worsening a different problem: the erosion of stable jobs for young workers. China’s push has accelerated investment in industrial automation, installing more than half of the world’s robots in 2024 alone and doubling down on AI-enabled production. The strategy is presented as a necessary response to the demographic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings About two out of every five professionals in China expect no pay rise this year after more than half missed out on one last year, with both figures higher than the Asian average, according to survey data gathered by a recruiting firm – a trend suggesting further pessimism among an already dissatisfied workforce. London-based recruitment firm Hays found that 44 per cent of professionals in China – the highest share anywhere in Asia – anticipate no salary increase in 2026. Six per cent expect a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347176/survey-shows-chinas-professionals-have-high-expectations-low-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347176/survey-shows-chinas-professionals-have-high-expectations-low-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s urban youth unemployment rate fell in February for the sixth consecutive month, though the marginal improvement provides little reprieve for jobseekers in a challenging post-holiday labour market. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged down to 16.1 per cent in February from 16.3 per cent in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The figure has been gradually declining since August, when a record 12.2 million... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:57:31 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Declining fertility rates have long been viewed as a drag on economic growth, but the outlook may not be entirely bleak for Asian economies such as China, South Korea and Japan, analysts said. Demographic pressure was accelerating investment in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in these rapidly ageing yet technologically advanced countries, helping offset labour shortages and sustain productivity even as populations shrank, they argued. Analysts at Bank of America (BofA) Global Research... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:58:35 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Some Chinese lawmakers and advisers are pushing to secure higher pensions for elderly farmers, underscoring the persistent income disparity between the country’s urban and rural residents. The latest government work report, approved on Thursday, confirmed a 20-yuan (US$2.91) monthly increase to basic pension payments for a third consecutive year, bringing the national minimum to 163 yuan. However, some deputies from China’s top legislature contend that this level is inadequate. “A pension of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:11 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s spring hiring season is revealing a sharp surge in demand for artificial intelligence talent as companies speed up the deployment of related technologies, turning it into one of the country’s hottest professional fields. The number of AI-related job postings in China in the first two months of the year grew about 12-fold year on year, far outpacing growth in other “new-economy” industries such as healthcare, renewable energy and semiconductors, People’s Daily reported on Tuesday, citing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346244/demand-ai-talent-china-outpaces-job-postings-other-new-economy-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346244/demand-ai-talent-china-outpaces-job-postings-other-new-economy-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:29:44 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Beijing should increase investment in early childhood education and lifelong learning as AI reshapes the world’s largest labour market, a prominent Chinese economist has said. The real policy test for China is whether it can shift decisively from investing in capital to investing in people, while policy and regulation must steer artificial intelligence (AI) towards empowering rather than replacing workers, according to Cai Fang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences focusing... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3345288/china-should-education-spending-help-population-adapt-ai-era-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3345288/china-should-education-spending-help-population-adapt-ai-era-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 23:00:07 +0000 Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Xinyi Wu Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Xinyi Wu On a day typically considered one of the happiest on the calendar for Chinese workers – the eve of Chinese New Year, when families gather for dinner in the midst of an extended public holiday – the annual Spring Festival Gala, the world’s most-watched television programme, left some in the viewing audience with a sense of profound disillusionment. As a troupe of humanoid robots break-danced, flipped, swung swords and performed comedy sketches at the gala, domestic AI brands occupied the show’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344920/iron-rice-bowl-vs-algorithm-why-chinas-economy-may-better-withstand-ai-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344920/iron-rice-bowl-vs-algorithm-why-chinas-economy-may-better-withstand-ai-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu When the results of China’s gruelling National Higher Education Entrance Examination – or gaokao – were released last summer, Lin Gangming was surprised to learn that he had scored high enough to attend some of the country’s top universities. But instead of chasing prestige, the student from Yangjiang, a small coastal city in Guangdong province, chose a different path: Shenzhen Polytechnic University – a public undergraduate vocational college in the province. Stories like Lin’s, covered by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng As China’s workforce heads into another year-end bonus season ahead of the Lunar New Year, the mood is colder than in previous cycles. Unlike a few years ago, when social media was flooded with posts flaunting outsized payouts, public talk of bonuses has largely faded from view. Long viewed by Chinese employees as a barometer of corporate prospects, industry momentum and even the broader economy, the year-end bonus packages for 2025 have become smaller, rarer and far more unevenly distributed,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342055/chinas-companies-cut-back-year-end-bonuses-profit-margins-narrow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342055/chinas-companies-cut-back-year-end-bonuses-profit-margins-narrow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s marriage registrations edged up in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for the birth outlook this year, but analysts caution that deeper demographic headwinds remain entrenched and difficult to reverse without broader policy support. China recorded 6.76 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2025, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, marking a 10.8 per cent increase from a year earlier, or 657,000 more couples. The number of marriage registrations is closely watched in China,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:00:08 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Over 10 million students graduate from Chinese universities every year, straining an already crowded labour market. Yet the “micro drama” industry is emerging as a crucial lifeline for hundreds of thousands of young jobseekers: offering the chance to turn creativity into a stable pay cheque. The sector was estimated to directly generate about 690,000 jobs in 2025 – mostly for young people – and over 2 million positions when counting upstream and downstream roles, according to a recent report by... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342809/chinas-micro-drama-industry-emerges-jobs-lifeline-tough-graduate-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342809/chinas-micro-drama-industry-emerges-jobs-lifeline-tough-graduate-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Justin Diamond Justin Diamond Western media and policymakers enjoy wagging their fingers at China’s industrial “overcapacity”, which in reality is simply the ability to produce solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, steel and other goods more cheaply and efficiently than others can. Yes, some industries are subsidised, but they also benefit immensely from rapid growth in technical know-how and economies of scale. China hasn’t really built too much; it’s just built too efficiently for the comfort of its competitors. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342379/how-us-can-actually-benefit-chinas-overcapacity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342379/how-us-can-actually-benefit-chinas-overcapacity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Defying a tight domestic job market, a record wave of overseas graduates is flooding back to China, eager to snatch up opportunities in its fast-growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors. The influx, up 12 per cent in 2025 to an eight-year high, signals “determined confidence” among globally trained talent, according to findings by job-recruitment platform Zhaopin. And the robustness of this homecoming trend, at 2.25 times the 2018 level, points to a “sustained trend” in domestic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo After testing Tesla’s driver assistance system FSD earlier this month, Chinese economist Ren Zeping exclaimed that autonomous driving’s large-scale real-world implementation was progressing much faster than he thought. Though driverless taxis are so far only being tested in designated areas in Chinese cities, he prophesied that autonomous driving would soon become widespread. “Autonomous driving will erupt in the next couple of years. Large models enable a unified driving paradigm, letting tens... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341532/ai-driving-seat-china-moves-rein-job-displacement-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341532/ai-driving-seat-china-moves-rein-job-displacement-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li As China’s two largest cities by economic output, Beijing and Shanghai are widely seen as barometers for the country’s broader economic performance. In 2025, Beijing’s gross domestic product reached 5.2 trillion yuan (US$748 billion), making it the second Chinese city to cross the 5-trillion-yuan mark after Shanghai, which breached the threshold in 2024 and did so again in 2025 with a GDP of 5.67 trillion yuan. Based on last year’s figures, each city’s economic size is comparable to that of a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341382/tale-two-megacities-how-did-beijing-and-shanghais-gdps-surpass-5-trillion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341382/tale-two-megacities-how-did-beijing-and-shanghais-gdps-surpass-5-trillion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Education in China’s countryside should shift away from rote-based learning to focus on nurturing curiosity and creativity in the artificial intelligence era, Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma said in a meeting with rural teachers on Monday. In remarks published by the Jack Ma Foundation on Tuesday, former English teacher Ma said the dawn of the AI era posed a challenge for rural education, but also presented an opportunity to “return to the fundamentals of education”. Alibaba owns the South... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341543/teach-our-children-well-jack-ma-urges-changes-chinas-rural-education-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341543/teach-our-children-well-jack-ma-urges-changes-chinas-rural-education-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China appears to have sent a message to the market with a recent 67 million yuan (US$9.7 million) fine on an unregistered education firm: the government is not planning to reverse its ban on after-school tutoring any time soon. With Beijing striving to boost consumption and create jobs, there had been growing speculation that authorities might relax their restrictions on private academic tutoring – an industry that had been worth tens of billions of dollars before the 2021 ban. But that now... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341405/china-crushes-rumours-after-school-tutoring-comeback-huge-fine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341405/china-crushes-rumours-after-school-tutoring-comeback-huge-fine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s premier manufacturing hub is recalibrating its economic ambitions, with policymakers in the industrial heartland of Guangdong setting a cautious growth target for 2026, signalling a strategic shift amid intensifying external pressures and internal regional imbalances. The southern province, bordering Hong Kong, expects its gross domestic product to grow between 4.5 and 5 per cent this year, its governor, Meng Fanli, said on Monday while delivering the annual government work report at the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341259/chinas-manufacturing-powerhouse-cuts-2026-gdp-growth-target-after-missing-mark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341259/chinas-manufacturing-powerhouse-cuts-2026-gdp-growth-target-after-missing-mark?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China has recorded a five-year peak in the number of provincial governments raising minimum wages, official data showed, as Beijing pledges to “invest in people” to support economic growth over the course of its latest five-year plan. Twenty-seven of the mainland’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises – outpacing China’s 5 per cent gross domestic product growth rate in 2025 – according to the Post’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341028/china-raises-minimum-wages-amid-drive-boost-household-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341028/china-raises-minimum-wages-amid-drive-boost-household-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Kandy Wong,Alice Li Kandy Wong,Alice Li China’s youth unemployment rate fell slightly in December for the fourth consecutive month, though competition for jobs remains intense as policymakers confront deflationary pressures and a labour market marked by a growing mismatch between skills and vacancies. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 16.5 per cent last month from 16.9 per cent in November, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. That figure has eased since... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340807/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-december-beijing-pledges-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340807/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-december-beijing-pledges-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 07:09:20 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen For years, many of mainland China’s art students dreamed of working or studying in Europe. After hours spent poring over the works of the continent’s masters as part of their degree requirements, living where their pieces are preserved, displayed and appreciated would seem a natural fit. But with funding and hiring freezes striking numerous overseas art programmes and museums, that path grows less appealing by the day. Now, rather than relocate to a new continent to further their studies, more... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Anthony W.D. Anastasi Anthony W.D. Anastasi If you were asked which middle-income country has one of the lowest levels of educational attainment, very few would say China. We continually hear stories about mass university expansion, record numbers of annual graduates and elite institutions that rank among the world’s best. Despite these impressive strides, gaps in education remain a large roadblock for China’s further economic development. The country remains largely undereducated for its level of economic development: only about 31 per... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339187/why-chinas-next-development-priority-must-be-secondary-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339187/why-chinas-next-development-priority-must-be-secondary-education?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has updated the technical paper of its landmark R1 model, showcasing the contributions of the 18 core scientists who powered its AI ambitions and capabilities, as anticipation heightened about a potential new major model release. The paper suggested that DeepSeek retained all 18 scientists behind its AI model development efforts, as well as many of the R1 project’s 176 contributors, despite fierce competition for talent in China’s AI industry. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3339215/core-chinese-research-team-behind-cutting-edge-ai-model-r1-remains-intact-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3339215/core-chinese-research-team-behind-cutting-edge-ai-model-r1-remains-intact-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over a hot – or cold – matcha drink. The index, released on Tuesday, pointed out how cafe culture has become a vital part of the social infrastructure that supports the tech ecosystem, and that matcha lattes have taken over as the “go-to” drink for young... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338901/singapore-beijing-land-top-10-savills-inaugural-matcha-index-global-tech-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338901/singapore-beijing-land-top-10-savills-inaugural-matcha-index-global-tech-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 23:30:10 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s job market is entering a decisive phase of structural transformation as the country retools its growth model after years of rapid expansion. As jobseekers struggle to reconcile shrinking traditional opportunities with a labour market in flux, Beijing has laid out a road map in the next five-year plan for reshaping its employment landscape amid demographic shifts through innovation-led industries, upgraded services and regionally balanced development. In this explainer, the Post outlines... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337290/what-are-chinas-hottest-jobs-ai-reshapes-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337290/what-are-chinas-hottest-jobs-ai-reshapes-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao Few developments over the past quarter century have been as consequential or widely debated as China’s ascent to global prominence as the vanguard of a rising Global South. To understand this change, we must look not only at outcomes but at the underlying drivers that made them possible. China’s development over the last 25 years did not occur by accident. It was not the result of any single policy. Rather, it was the cumulative product of farsighted design and vision as well as an evolving... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338103/key-lessons-chinas-ascent-over-past-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338103/key-lessons-chinas-ascent-over-past-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Chinese household appliances maker Dreame Technology will present gifts of gold and a trip to Antarctica to employees, on top of their year-end bonuses, as the company boosted its position as one of the world’s leading vendors of robot vacuum cleaners. The additional largesse was revealed over the weekend by Dreame founder and CEO Yu Hao in two WeChat Moments posts. Yu said every employee will receive a one-gram gold bonus in addition to their standard year-end payout. The company also planned... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:00:10 +0000 Brian Y. S. Wong Brian Y. S. Wong Given the breakneck speed of technological and commercial developments across the world, China is perhaps one of only a few sovereign states with a comprehensive strategy on both artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The Chinese state philosophy in AI development is anchored in diffusion, as opposed to maximising the cutting-edge performance of select generative or reasoning models. While American and European investors are lured by the prospects of superintelligent and humanoid robots,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336289/protection-vulnerable-workers-must-be-part-chinas-ai-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336289/protection-vulnerable-workers-must-be-part-chinas-ai-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s youth-unemployment rate ticked lower in November, though competition remains fierce for university graduates trying to find work that matches their qualifications. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 16.9 per cent in November from 17.3 per cent in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The rate has eased since August, when the graduation of a record 12.2 million university students over the summer pushed it... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336857/chinas-jobless-rate-young-people-eases-169-graduates-settle-less?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336857/chinas-jobless-rate-young-people-eases-169-graduates-settle-less?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:00:11 +0000 Wency Chen,Coco Feng Wency Chen,Coco Feng Tencent Holdings has initiated a major restructuring at its artificial intelligence group with the promotion of recent high-profile recruit Vinces Yao Shunyu, a former researcher at OpenAI. Without mentioning his Chinese name, Shenzhen-based Tencent’s announcement on Wednesday came with a photo of Yao. He was tasked to lead the company’s new AI infrastructure efforts, including the development of large language models (LLMs). Yao’s official position is chief AI scientist under the CEO’s office... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3336811/tencent-restructures-ai-operations-promotes-high-profile-recruit-chief-ai-scientist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3336811/tencent-restructures-ai-operations-promotes-high-profile-recruit-chief-ai-scientist?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:45:51 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu TikTok owner ByteDance is the top recruiter in China’s tech sector this year, while at the same time artificial intelligence-related job postings on the mainland have risen more than 500 per cent, according to a report by Maimai, China’s largest professional social networking platform. ByteDance dominated tech hiring between January and October, with a hiring index of 897, ahead of Meituan at 587 and Alibaba Group Holding at 407, while AI related job listings surged 543 per cent, the report... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3336503/bytedance-dominates-chinas-tech-hiring-ai-talent-demand-surges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3336503/bytedance-dominates-chinas-tech-hiring-ai-talent-demand-surges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:00:10 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China’s retail-sales growth unexpectedly cooled to the slowest since Covid, and investments also disappointed, as Chinese leaders struggle to boost domestic demand amid a property slump and uncertain exports. Retail sales only expanded 1.3 per cent, the lowest since December 2022, and below the 2.92 per cent forecast among economists polled by Chinese financial data provider Wind. Fixed-asset investment fell 2.6 per cent in the first 11 months, according to the National Bureau of Statistics,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336466/chinas-elusive-domestic-demand-holds-key-revival-faltering-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336466/chinas-elusive-domestic-demand-holds-key-revival-faltering-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Mia Nurmamat,Xinyi Wu Mia Nurmamat,Xinyi Wu China faces mounting pressure to ramp up stimulus as new data shows its growth engines sputtering, with retail sales growth slowing for six straight months and investment showing renewed signs of strain in November despite recent policy support. The deceleration in consumption growth and the deepening property slump underscore the challenges Beijing faces in revitalising the economy heading into 2026. Retail sales, a key gauge of consumer spending, grew in November by just 1.3 per cent, year on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3336420/chinas-consumption-and-investment-show-weak-performance-november?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3336420/chinas-consumption-and-investment-show-weak-performance-november?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 02:00:11 +0000 Sylvia Ma,Ji Siqi Sylvia Ma,Ji Siqi China has pledged to build a robust domestic market to counter external risks following a high-level policy meeting – a strategy that analysts say signals more pro-growth measures and a better balance between supply and demand. The central economic work conference – an annual gathering of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China’s cabinet – concluded on Thursday with a nationwide call to “strengthen our own capabilities to cope with external challenges”,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3336076/china-stresses-domestic-demand-after-closely-watched-economic-conference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3336076/china-stresses-domestic-demand-after-closely-watched-economic-conference?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:47:50 +0000 Danielle Popov Danielle Popov Deep Robotics – one of the “Six Little Dragons” from Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang province – on Tuesday said it had raised 500 million yuan (US$70 million) in fresh funding from a group of Chinese investors. According to the company’s statement, its latest round of financing was led by CMB International, China Asset Management and funds under state-owned telecommunications network operators China Telecom and China Unicom. Deep Robotics founder and CEO Zhu Qiuguo, who also serves as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335806/chinas-deep-robotics-raises-us70-million-fresh-funds-sector-draws-more-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335806/chinas-deep-robotics-raises-us70-million-fresh-funds-sector-draws-more-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 01:00:21 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren China’s securities regulator has called on the country’s 160 mutual fund houses to establish a performance-based salary mechanism, as part of efforts to uproot elitism from the industry. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has drawn up guidelines governing asset managers’ pay perks, suggesting that the performance of the funds they run should factor up to 80 per cent in determining their annual salaries, according to a report on Monday by the official Securities Times. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335635/new-china-guidelines-base-asset-managers-pay-performance-funds-they-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335635/new-china-guidelines-base-asset-managers-pay-performance-funds-they-run?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:27 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen Huang Yiping is the dean of Peking University’s National School of Development and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank. He also sits on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s Mainland China Advisory Group. In his second Open Questions interview, Huang shares his thoughts on the need for caution in adopting new technologies like stablecoins and artificial intelligence, China’s next five-year plan and whether its tariff ceasefire with the US... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335355/economist-huang-yiping-why-chinas-ai-push-must-be-job-oriented?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335355/economist-huang-yiping-why-chinas-ai-push-must-be-job-oriented?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:00:31 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s artificial intelligence boom is giving rise to a new cohort of “solopreneurs”, who are turning their business dreams into reality with the help of technology, offering a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak job market. While there is no government data tracking this group, the proliferation of affordable AI models suggests that the number of AI-powered solopreneurs in China is on the rise. Recent data from the US Census Bureau showed that the US had about 30 million solopreneurs, who... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335343/chinas-ai-boom-fuels-solopreneurs-1-person-businesses-flourish-tough-job-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335343/chinas-ai-boom-fuels-solopreneurs-1-person-businesses-flourish-tough-job-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 08:00:14 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Japanese imaging technology giant Canon has shut down one of its major printer production facilities in mainland China, underscoring the growing clout of domestic brands in the country’s printing market. A visit on Thursday by the Post to Canon Zhongshan Business Machines, in Zhongshan city in the southern Guangdong province, revealed little activity. The car park was nearly empty, while a dozen employees strolled outside the office building. A worker said production had halted late last month,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3335186/end-era-canon-closes-china-printer-plant-japanese-brand-loses-local-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3335186/end-era-canon-closes-china-printer-plant-japanese-brand-loses-local-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s average life expectancy hit a record 79 years in 2024, edging closer to developed-nation levels as the country grapples with a deepening demographic crisis and scrambles to improve aged-care resources. In discussing the all-time high, which broke the 2023 record of 78.6 years, National Health Commission (NHC) head Lei Haichao reiterated on Monday that the country’s newborns should be expected to live an average of 80 years by 2030 – a key metric in President Xi Jinping’s “Healthy China”... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335079/living-79-chinas-record-longevity-puts-economic-wrinkles-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335079/living-79-chinas-record-longevity-puts-economic-wrinkles-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:30:18 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A popular Chinese snack brand has ignited online controversy after netizens revealed that its employees have to change their surnames to “rat” and refer to customers as “master”. Recently, a mainland netizen posted online claiming that “after joining Three Squirrels, you lose your real name”. Photographs from an internal meeting showed nameplates such as Shu Laodie, meaning “Rat Dad”, and Shu Laomu, meaning “Rat Mum”. Three Squirrels, which was founded in 2012 in Anhui province, central China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334196/china-snack-brand-criticised-making-staff-change-surname-rat-call-customers-master?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334196/china-snack-brand-criticised-making-staff-change-surname-rat-call-customers-master?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:00:15 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Xiaomi has hired a former engineer from Tesla’s Optimus team, Zach Lu Zeyu, to join the Chinese tech giant’s robotics initiatives, as the talent grab in the industry intensifies. Lu, previously a senior robotics engineer focused on the Optimus humanoid robot, joined Xiaomi last month to lead the Beijing-based firm’s dexterous hand research and development operations, according to his LinkedIn page. During his two years at Tesla, Lu worked on the design for dexterous grasping and manipulation, as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3334353/xiaomi-seeks-helping-hand-former-tesla-engineer-robotics-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3334353/xiaomi-seeks-helping-hand-former-tesla-engineer-robotics-development?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00:11 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang On the 32nd anniversary of New Oriental, a private Beijing-based education services provider, the company’s founder, Yu Minhong, wrote an internal letter to his staff about his trip to the South Pole. “I am standing in the icy world of Antarctica, surrounded by vast expanses of pure white, emerald-like icebergs and boundless tranquillity,” he wrote. “The glaciers shimmer with a captivating glow under the sunlight, as if to silently declare the power of time and the meaning of perseverance.” He... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334051/elite-success-stories-are-cold-comfort-disillusioned-young-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334051/elite-success-stories-are-cold-comfort-disillusioned-young-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu As China rapidly ages, the senior-care sector is poised to become a significant source of job creation. Yet, enthusiasm among the nation’s young workforce remains lukewarm. The care-services industry, including care for elderly residents, is projected to generate millions of jobs and become a driver of household consumption in the years to come, as national demographics shift towards an older population, according to He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Centre under... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333979/chinas-senior-care-sector-promising-job-growth-clashes-young-workers-reluctance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333979/chinas-senior-care-sector-promising-job-growth-clashes-young-workers-reluctance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:30:09 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Each winter for the past three years, Claire Zhou, a teenager from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, has counted down the days until she can fly to northern China and pull on a new ski suit and boots. The better she skis, the more frequently she upgrades her gear, reshaping her family’s holiday budget and pulling them deeper into China’s fast-growing winter sports consumption chain. The country’s winter sports boom, sparked by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and fuelled by supportive... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333702/frost-and-funds-chinas-winter-sports-boom-drives-spending-and-industry-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333702/frost-and-funds-chinas-winter-sports-boom-drives-spending-and-industry-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 08:00:16 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has loosened its civil service medical rules so that sufferers from three chronic diseases will no longer be barred, a move hailed by campaigners and legal groups as a landmark in the fight against unfair employment practices. The updated rules were issued on November 14 by the General Office of the Central Committee’s Organisation Department, which oversees the recruitment process, and the National Health Commission. Amid a tough job market in China, many qualified candidates for civil... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333814/china-overhauls-unfair-rules-excluded-chronic-disease-carriers-civil-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333814/china-overhauls-unfair-rules-excluded-chronic-disease-carriers-civil-service?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 02:00:17 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo China is preparing for an unprecedented wave of new university graduates next summer – a record 12.7 million outgoing students – intensifying pressure on an already strained job market and a slowing economy. The 2026 cohort will be about 4 per cent larger than the 12.22 million graduates in 2025 – an additional 480,000 young people competing for jobs, according to the Ministry of Education. It announced the figures on Thursday, as it launched new campaigns to ensure sufficient opportunities. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333652/china-braces-record-127-million-graduates-entering-tight-job-market-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333652/china-braces-record-127-million-graduates-entering-tight-job-market-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:00:08 +0000