College graduates with tech, live-streaming skills most in-demand in China’s job market, survey says

Job openings for fresh graduates who specialise in 5G, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cloud computing, integrated circuits and big data rose during China’s spring hiring season

The live-streaming boom has driven up demand for graduates in fields such as film production, journalism and broadcast communications

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Job applicants read recruitment information at an on-site job fair in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, on April 21. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:30pm, 9 Jul 2020Updated: 10:58pm, 9 Jul 2020

College graduates who majored in tech-related disciplines and those with live-stream-suited skills became the most in-demand recruits during China’s coronavirus-influenced spring hiring season, even though many of them have reservations about working in the hot area of streaming.

Computer engineering and science majors made up 20 of the 30 most-wanted majors for domestic employment this year, according to a report released on Wednesday by Chinese recruiting app operator Boss Zhipin. It also found college graduates who majored in film production, journalism and broadcast communications had become in high demand, driven by China’s live-streaming boom.

The report said new opportunities are emerging in “the medical and health care, internet technology, online education, short video and live-streaming industries”. That is in stark contrast to the “grim situation” for job applicants in traditional fields including tourism, offline education and finance.

This trend in China’s highly competitive job market shows how the hiring of technology and innovation talent has become more prized, as businesses adapt to the uncertain economic environment and coronavirus-related disruptions.

Employees are shown on a screen as a crew prepares a rehearsal for a live-streaming session for the Canton Fair inside a showroom at Ningbo MH Industry Co in Ningbo, a city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on June 10. Photo: Bloomberg

It also reflects how enterprises are responding to Beijing’s recent efforts to accelerate the country’s digital “new infrastructure” initiative, as tensions with Washington and New Delhi increase.