Job seekers attend a job fair held in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

As China's job market grows increasingly competitive, college graduates are discovering that mastering artificial intelligence (AI) skills could be their key to success.

At a recent job fair in south China's Guangdong, a company specializing in brain-computer interface research and development made its ambitions clear, expressing a strong desire to hire algorithm engineers while noting that "there is no cap on hiring!"

"We offer a complimentary two-bedroom apartment and an annual salary of 400,000 to 700,000 yuan," said Zheng Hui, founder of the startup NeuroDance. That's roughly 55,000 to 96,000 U.S. dollars, a highly competitive package for new job seekers.

As China prioritizes boosting graduate employment, roles in emerging sectors like AI and robotics remain in critically short supply.

Official data shows that a record 12.22 million college graduates are expected to enter the job market in 2025. This year's government work report has pledged to expand employment and business startup opportunities for students and other young people.

At the job fair that concluded on Monday, AI-related positions in electronics, IT and advanced manufacturing emerged as some of the most in-demand roles.

Tech firms like BYD, Pony.ai and UBTECH are actively recruiting for positions such as autonomous driving algorithm engineers and AI engine R&D engineers, drawing significant interest from job seekers.

Liu Silei, who is studying robotics, cognition and intelligence at the Technical University of Munich, returned to China for the recruitment event. "China's AI boom is providing ample career opportunities," Liu said.

At a similar job fair held in east China's Hangzhou recently, 830 companies offered 21,000 positions, with half of them in AI algorithms and large models.

Chinese firm Unitree Robotics posted 10 AI-related roles, with monthly salaries reaching up to 70,000 yuan, underscoring the lucrative opportunities emerging in this sector.

"DeepSeek's explosive growth is driving AI integration across sectors, and the intensifying competition for AI professionals is pushing companies to increase salaries," said Li Qiang, executive vice president of Zhaopin, an online recruitment platform in China.

Data from the platform shows that job postings for algorithm engineers and machine learning roles in February grew by 46.8 percent and 40.1 percent year on year, respectively, with average monthly salaries surpassing 20,000 yuan.

The AI talent shortage deepened in Q1 2025, with demand outpacing supply by a ratio of 3:1, according to a report by Liepin, a Chinese job-seeking service provider. Specifically, there are nine job openings for every search algorithm engineer and seven for each recommendation algorithm specialist.

Demand for AI education and talent development is also surging. Job openings for AI trainers after this year's Chinese New Year soared by 112 percent, with positions offering a monthly salary of over 15,000 yuan, according to Zhaopin.

"The most urgent needs are fundamental scientists and cross-disciplinary experts," said Wang Liang, a researcher from the Institute of Automation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "They are crucial for advancing home-grown AI chip development and original algorithms while also accelerating AI's adoption across industries."

The DeepSeek phenomenon has sparked an AI race among China's tech giants, including Alibaba and Tencent. At the same time, their models are being rapidly adopted across government services, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer goods and urban management, creating an unprecedented demand for professionals who can blend AI expertise with industry-specific knowledge.

AI only became an official undergraduate major in China in 2019. Currently, most AI professionals transition from backgrounds in computer science, software engineering, electronics, or mechanical engineering. These fields require a strong foundation in advanced linear algebra, probability theory, statistics and programming skills.

China's higher education system has introduced AI programs at over 500 universities, marking one of the fastest disciplinary expansions in its history.

Leading Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University, Wuhan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have announced plans to expand their enrollments in AI and related interdisciplinary fields to meet the growing demand for talent.

Industry reports indicate that by 2030, China is expected to face a shortage of 4 million AI professionals.

AI entrepreneurs are urging working professionals to upskill in AI. "AI competency must become a core citizen skill," said Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFLYTEK. "Free AI training initiatives targeting low-income and disadvantaged groups should also be considered."

"Young professionals should dedicate weekly time to track global AI advancements across industries," said Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree Robotics. "This will be the opportunity multiplier."