What Are the Most In-Demand and High-Paying Typical Jobs in China for 2025?

With the transformation of China's economic structure and the acceleration of technological innovation, the job market in 2025 presents a clear division of industries and a skills-oriented approach. This article analyzes China's current and future typical occupations, covering in-demand positions, salary trends, and career development advice, to help you seize opportunities. It also combines the latest industry reports and policy developments.

Industry distribution and trends of typical occupations in China

Traditional industries and emerging technologies go hand in hand

China's manufacturing and service industries are still the core employment sectors, but there is a surge in demand for jobs in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, new energy, and digital health. For example, 19 new occupations such as generative AI system operators and intelligent vehicle testers have been included in the official certification list, covering the fields of digitalization and intelligence.

Concentration of high-paying occupations

• Technology and finance: positions such as technical operations manager (annual salary of 450,000-530,000 yuan) and managing director of the financial industry (annual salary of 1.44-2.16 million yuan) are at the top of the salary list due to their technical complexity and strategic value.
• Medical and legal: chief medical officer (average annual salary of 2.24 million yuan) and senior lawyer (annual salary of 478,000 yuan) continue to be in demand due to their high professional barriers.

Career opportunities combining globalization and localization

The rise of Chinese companies on the international stage (for example, CES 2025 exhibitors account for more than 30%) has led to a demand for positions related to overseas market expansion, such as overseas marketing directors (annual salary of 471,000) and multinational project management experts.

 

The five most typical occupations in 2025

Sales Manager

• Core responsibilities: formulating sales strategies, managing teams, and exploring market opportunities. Must be familiar with the dynamics of the Chinese domestic market and CRM tools (such as Salesforce).
  
• Salary range: 300,000-600,000 yuan per year. Fluency in Chinese and English is required.

Operations Manager - Technology

• Core responsibilities: Optimize technology processes, manage IT infrastructure, ensure compliance. ITIL or Lean Six Sigma certification is required.
• Salary range: 450,000-530,000 yuan per year. Experience with emerging technologies (e.g., AI, Internet of Things) is a plus.

Generative AI Operator

• Emerging occupation: With the popularization of low-cost AI systems such as DeepSeek, this position is responsible for training and optimizing AI models, involving natural language processing and data analysis.
• Industry prospects: Listed as a new occupation in 2025, demand is concentrated in technology companies and R&D institutions.

Project Manager - Strategy & Change

• Core responsibilities: Leading enterprise transformation projects, proficient in Agile management and risk control, familiar with the Chinese policy environment.
  
• Salary range: 500,000-2.2 million yuan per year. Interdepartmental collaboration skills are key.

E-commerce Director

• Core responsibilities: Leading online sales strategies and data analysis, familiar with the operation of platforms such as Tmall and JD.com.
• Salary range: About 1.04 million yuan per year. Digital transformation is driving the demand for this position.

 

Key skills and policy support for career development

Skill upgrade direction

• Technical skills: AI algorithms, cloud computing, big data analysis (e.g., Python, TensorFlow).
  
• Soft skills: cross-cultural communication, strategic thinking, change management.
  

Policies and employment support

• The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources have jointly launched the “Campus Recruitment Special Action”, which will provide more than 1.8 million positions for graduates in 2025, focusing on the fields of education and technology.
  
• Local governments encourage grassroots employment, such as China Post, which gives priority to recruiting recent graduates for grassroots positions and provides vocational training.
  

Challenges and opportunities in the job market

Technology-driven job reshaping

Intelligent driving and the development of AR/VR hardware (such as the CATL intelligent chassis system showcased at CES 2025) will give rise to more interdisciplinary positions that require practitioners to have both technical and industry knowledge.

International competition and local advantages

The position of Chinese companies in the global supply chain (such as in the clothing, high-speed rail, and nuclear energy industries) provides local talent with stable career prospects, but they also need to adapt to market fluctuations caused by Sino-US trade relations.

 

Written in the end

“Typical jobs” in China are no longer just a few positions in the traditional stereotype, but are constantly evolving under the influence of globalization and technology. Perhaps you originally planned to get a stable and decent job, but unexpectedly discovered that you are quite talented in the creative field; or maybe you have always dreamed of freelancing, but ended up becoming a successful e-commerce entrepreneur through a chance encounter.

In any case, when people ask, “What jobs are most common in China?” you will find that the answer to this question is gradually becoming more and more diverse. As long as you are willing to broaden your horizons and cultivate your skills, everyone can find their own place in the diverse Chinese workplace.

Tip: If you want to explore further about the popular jobs in a particular field, remember to collect information on official policies, industry trend reports and corporate needs. After all, in the era of information explosion, real-time attention is the most effective way to keep up with changes.