Shanghai Data Exchange jumps on metaverse bandwagon with virtual recruitment drive
- The eight-day virtual recruitment event, open to global talent, is expected to result in the hiring of 150 applicants for nine departments
- The metaverse has emerged as a popular topic at the ‘two sessions’, even though state media spent months warning of risks associated with hyping the concept

After entering the metaverse, applicants adopt the avatar of an animated man in a black suit, which then moves around the hall to meet recruiters representing nine departments. However, jobseekers cannot interact with human recruiters while they are in the metaverse, and the gender of the avatar cannot be changed.
The eight-day event, running until March 14 and open to global talent, is expected to result in the hiring of 150 applicants for nine departments, including product research and development, risk management, and marketing, the Exchange said in a statement on its website.
Jobseekers who share the programme on social media will have the chance to win a “digital collectible”, the Chinese version of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that are not traded with cryptocurrencies, which are banned in China.
Proposals from some delegates reflect the widespread interest in the metaverse. Kong Falong, a National People’s Congress delegate and party official from the Rural Credit Cooperatives of southern Jiangxi province, said Beijing should set up a national metaverse research and development centre to help the country become a world leader in the digital economy.
Liu Wei, a delegate of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and president of the Guangzhou-based artificial intelligence services company PCI Technology Group, said the central government should lead the development of and applications for the metaverse.