China moves to curb AI job losses with new employment guidelines
- The General Office of China’s State Council issued AI and employment guidelines on Oct. 23.
- The guidelines set out 18 tasks in six areas.
- They call for a mechanism to assess employment risks associated with AI adoption.
- China’s core AI industry was valued at more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($178.6Bn) in 2025.
BEIJING, CHINA — China has urged government agencies to mitigate job displacement caused by artificial intelligence, in guidelines that pair protection for workers with a push to use the technology to create jobs. The document sets out 18 tasks in six areas, from boosting AI’s job-creation potential to monitoring employment risks.
18 tasks in six areas
The guidelines were issued by the General Office of the State Council on Oct. 23, according to the Chinese government’s official website. The six areas are boosting AI’s job-creation potential, making AI adoption more employment-friendly, improving workers’ digital skills, enhancing employment services, strengthening labor and social security protections, and monitoring and addressing employment risks.
They call for a mechanism to assess employment risks associated with AI adoption, along with stronger monitoring and early warning of those risks. Authorities should also develop contingency plans for responding to such risks, Reuters reported.
Support for displaced workers
The government should provide support for job transitions and re-employment for AI projects that could cause significant disruption to the job market, according to Reuters. Workers displaced by AI should receive targeted career guidance, skills training and job recommendations.
The guidelines also emphasize protecting workers’ rights in human-machine collaboration and strengthening social security for people in flexible employment and new forms of employment. They call for refining income distribution mechanisms to adapt to advances in AI.
Rules for AI in HR
The guidelines call for regulating the use of AI in human resources management. They target illegal practices stemming from the misuse of algorithms, such as discrimination, fraudulent recruitment and privacy infringement, Reuters reported.
Creating jobs as well
Alongside the protections, the guidelines call for expanding employment opportunities in emerging fields, helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises stabilize and expand employment, and developing new AI-related occupations. They also propose using AI to make employment services more intelligent.
China’s core AI industry was valued at more than 1.2 trillion yuan (about $178.6Bn) in 2025, with more than 6,200 AI companies operating nationwide, according to official figures. By the end of 2025, more than 30% of manufacturing enterprises with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan had adopted AI technologies.
Demand is shifting too. Networking and recruitment platform Maimai reported that new AI-related job postings in the new economy on its platform rose 789.47% year on year from January to July.
What it means for employers
For companies with teams in China, the guidelines signal closer attention to how AI is used in hiring and workforce management, as the state builds monitoring for AI-related job losses.
Employers planning to automate back office work with artificial intelligence (AI) can compare partners on the top AI outsourcing companies list.
Related news
- AI could displace 1 in 11 workers, mostly in recessions: Goldman · 27 Oct 2026
- Fed: firms in 5 of 12 districts curb hiring after AI investment · 20 Oct 2026
- AI is rewriting jobs more than cutting them, Workday finds · 14 Oct 2026
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
Stay ahead of the outsourcing industry. Join thousands of business leaders who rely on Outsource Accelerator for the news, trends, and expert insights that matter. Subscribe to our free newsletter and never miss an update.
