A worker assembles intelligent industrial robots at the factory of Chinese industrial robot producer Openmind (Wuhu) Intelligent Robot Co in Jiujiang Economic Development Zone, Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province, on November 20, 2025. Photo: VCG

China's robotics industry saw a 37.3 percent year-on-year increase in job postings in the fourth quarter of 2025, ranking among the fastest-growing areas in the high-end equipment sector, a report from Zhaopin, an online recruitment platform in China, showed on Wednesday.

According to the report sent to the Global Times, the talent market in the fourth quarter of 2025 outlined a demand pattern led by industries related to new quality productive forces, as emerging high-tech and high-efficiency sectors — such as next-generation information technology (IT), high-end equipment and new materials — continue to unleash strong demand, featured by rising job openings, upward salary trends, and escalating skill requirements.

From October to December, robot commissioning/debugging engineers recorded the highest growth, with job openings up 64.1 percent year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing occupation in the high-end equipment field. Industrial robot engineers followed closely with a 60.6 percent increase, said the report.

In the artificial intelligence sector, job postings grew by 19.0 percent year-on-year, with a significant surge in demand for algorithm-related roles. Algorithm engineer positions saw the highest growth, surging 110.1 percent year-on-year, with an average monthly recruitment salary of 25,236 yuan ($3,625.2) — both figures ranking first and making it the most prominent occupation in the next-generation information technology field. Meanwhile, robot algorithm positions also rose 30.7 percent, with an average monthly salary of 24,426 yuan, the report showed.

The low-altitude economy is also developing rapidly and vigorously. In the fourth quarter, recruitment for drone engineers surged 59.4 percent year-on-year, with an average monthly salary of 16,634 yuan. As drone applications continue to expand in areas such as inspection, security, and agriculture, this occupation is gradually forming its own distinct talent demand structure, the report said.

Another area of strong talent demand growth came from the modern services sector. Online lifestyle services led the way with a remarkable 62.7 percent year-on-year increase in job postings, highlighting the deep integration of digital services into consumer life and ongoing model innovation. Other segments continued to show solid growth with gaming up 26.4 percent, pet services up 15.3 percent, and elderly care/nursing rising 2.5 percent. These industries are effectively meeting residents' increasingly diverse and higher-quality demands for daily living services, according to the report.

The report noted that since 2025, driven by the combined forces of the new wave of technology and industrial structural upgrading, industries related to new quality productive forces have advanced to a higher level. Various sectors have entered a technology-driven growth phase, with accelerated digital upgrading of equipment and frequent iterations of new materials, which has significantly increased demand across the industrial chain for talent in engineering R&D, process manufacturing, algorithms, and intelligent systems, further concentrating the talent market focus in the fourth quarter toward new quality productive forces. 

"The rapid acceleration of technological iteration is giving rise to new occupations, with its essence lying in innovation-driven growth that simultaneously expands employment opportunities and enhances job quality," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Wang noted that high-quality employment mirrors the country's economic transformation and upgrading. "The concentration of high-skilled talent in emerging industries accelerates the commercialization of technological achievements and industrial iteration, forming a virtuous cycle among talent, innovation and growth," the expert said.