China Defines 20 New AI Professions to Reshape Labor Market

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security is restructuring the Chinese labor market by formalizing 72 new professional roles between 2021 and 2025, with more than 20 specifically focused on artificial intelligence. These roles include AI content creators, AI trainers, and humanoid robot data collectors, designed to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving tech sector.

In Shanghai, AI trainers are now classified as a critically undersupplied high-skill profession, with annual demand increasing by more than 30 percent. To bridge this gap, the government is providing subsidies for an industry-training integration model that connects universities and research institutes directly with enterprises. Experts estimate that every new AI-related profession could generate employment for 300,000 to 500,000 people in the short term.

Private sector implementation is already underway through companies like AgiBot. The manufacturer is employing humanoid robot data collectors to gather millions of high-quality data points across diverse scenarios to improve machine learning. These operations are supported by specialized facilities, including a data training center for embodied AI in Pingyin County focused on automotive manufacturing.