China unveils ambitious 3-year digital talent plan amid tech race
BEIJING, CHINA — China has initiated a robust three-year plan aimed at developing a digital workforce amidst intensifying technological competition with the West.
A report by the South China Morning Post cites a recent Chinese government circular that sets forth an aggressive training and attraction strategy through 2026. The plan focuses on vital tech areas such as big data, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, integrated circuits, and data security.
“We’ll closely follow the demands from the digital economy and industrial digitalisation, support indigenous innovation of digital talents and create a large, quality and well-structured and distributed team of digital talents,” the document said.
Attracting global digital talent
To attract top talent, the plan encourages local governments to offer perks like housing incentives, startup investment, and employment opportunities for families of digital workers.
The plan emphasizes not only developing local talent but also attracting skilled digital professionals from abroad. Efforts include support for overseas Chinese returnees to start innovative businesses and organizing top-level digital talent to contribute back to the country.
“It’s a step in the right direction to address China’s employment dilemma,” said an economist in Beijing who refused to be publicly named.
The economist also warned, “[Overseas Chinese talent] should be convinced they are politically trusted amid rivalry between China and Western countries before they consider moving back to China.”
Addressing the tech talent shortage
The need for such a comprehensive plan is underscored by shortages in China’s tech workforce.
According to a government think tank China Centre for Information Industry Development and the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), there’s an estimated 200,000 worker deficit in the semiconductor industry in 2023 alone.
The intelligent manufacturing sector also had a shortage of 4.3 million digital workers in 2022, with expectations of this gap widening to 5.5 million next year, as reported by Deloitte and Chinese firm Renrui Human Resources Technology.
Moreover, career social network Maimai said that for every five new AI jobs in China, there are only two qualified workers in the job market.
