In China's latest effort to adapt its workforce to rapid technological changes, a senior official on Saturday announced an initiative to promote employment in response to artificial intelligence development. Li Zhong, vice minister of human resources and social security, said China would actively address the impact of AI and other emerging technologies on employment, promoting the responsible development of technology and bolstering quality employment. Adapting to AI-driven changes has become an increasingly prominent part of China's employment policy. Several official documents issued this year have outlined measures to harness technological advances while supporting employment. The 2026 government work report vowed to take more effective measures to facilitate employment and entrepreneurship through better adaptation to the development of AI technologies. A five-year plan on implementing the employment-first strategy also identified promoting employment amid AI advances as a key task, calling for creating jobs through AI applications and tapping the potential in traditional sectors. AI is already reshaping China's economy and transforming its labour market, with demand growing for workers equipped with specialised technical skills. According to Maimai, a networking and recruitment platform, the number of new AI-related job postings in the new economy on the platform rose about 789 percent, year on year, from January to July. Online job-seeking platform Zhaopin also said in a report that demand was particularly strong for AI engineers, including those working in automotive manufacturing and intelligent driving. China's core AI industry has exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan in scale, with more than 6,200 enterprises operating in the sector. AI adoption rate across key industries has surpassed 80 percent. Beyond AI, China is also seeking to generate employment opportunities by developing emerging and future industries. During the past five years, China introduced 72 new occupations, including AI trainers and carbon emissions managers, incorporating them into the country's official occupational classification system. Since the beginning of 2026, authorities have announced another 11 new occupations. Wu Liduo, an official of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said the ministry would establish a regular mechanism for identifying new occupations, focusing on emerging fields such as AI, the digital economy, green and low-carbon development, and modern services. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the ministry plans to formulate or revise more than 200 national occupational standards, Wu said. (Xinhua) Edited by Azam Khan

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