Demand for artificial intelligence specialists is accelerating in China’s graduate recruitment market, with employers expanding campus hiring for AI-related roles, according to a recent survey of companies and job seekers.
Based on responses from 6,352 companies and 18,792 individuals, the survey found that nearly 30 per cent of employers are recruiting AI specialists through campus hiring. Among these companies, 56.8 per cent reported higher demand than a year earlier.
AI application development engineers account for the largest share of available positions, representing 53.9 per cent of AI-related graduate vacancies. Employers are placing particular emphasis on expertise in mathematics, statistics and machine learning, reflecting the growing need for advanced technical skills, as reported by
Global Times, a TV BRICS partner.
The recruitment trend is also being accompanied by earlier hiring campaigns as employers seek to secure AI specialists before graduation. Vacancies increasingly cover areas including AI models, computing infrastructure, cybersecurity, large language models, supercomputing and AI applications.
The survey points to differing perceptions among employers and graduates about AI’s impact on employment. Some 68.3 per cent of companies said recruitment demand remains broadly stable while job structures are being adjusted. Only 7.3 per cent expected AI to replace basic jobs to such an extent that graduate recruitment would decline.
Among graduates surveyed, 35.9 per cent said AI had already replaced some traditional jobs, while 30.2 per cent believed the technology had created new employment opportunities. A further 26.7 per cent said the overall number of jobs had changed little but that the skills required had evolved.
The changing labour market is therefore placing greater emphasis on capabilities that are difficult to automate, including innovation, creativity, interdisciplinary thinking and continuous learning. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into different industries, these skills are expected to play a growing role in shaping graduates’ employment prospects.