The booming development of the robotics industry relies heavily on talent support. According to data from the Market Supervision Big Data Center, as of the end of December 2024, there are 451,700 intelligent robotics companies nationwide, representing a 206.73% increase compared to the end of 2020, showing a significant upward trend. Recently, Zhaopin released the “2025 Robotics Industry Talent Development Report” (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”), which indicates that in the first five months of 2025, both the supply and demand for talent in the domestic robotics industry have experienced rapid growth, with the number of job postings increasing by 6% year-on-year and the number of job seekers increasing by 32%. The robotics industry is becoming a new track that engineers are eager to enter.
Some Job Demands Are Experiencing a Surge
In recent years, China has introduced a series of policies related to robotics, providing strong support and guarantees for the development of the robotics industry. Particularly, the continuous optimization of artificial intelligence technology, improvements in algorithms such as machine learning and deep learning, have enabled robots to possess stronger capabilities in autonomous learning, environmental perception, and decision-making. At the same time, advancements in chip performance, size reduction, and battery technology have provided robust technical support for high-performance computing and flexible movement/control in robotics, marking a critical period of rapid development for the robotics industry.
“Our survey found that in the robotics industry, the number of job postings in the humanoid robot sector increased by 409% year-on-year, and the number of job seekers increased by 396%,” said Li Qiang, Executive Vice President of Zhaopin. With the acceleration of technological iteration, embodied intelligence has become a development trend in the robotics field, and the increasing demand for intelligent manufacturing and elderly companionship has driven the commercialization of humanoid robot companies, creating a large number of job demands.
Currently, robotics-related positions are divided into three core categories: technical positions, production positions, and sales positions. Technical positions focus on research and application, including traditional R&D roles as well as technical support and application development closely related to technology implementation. Production positions mainly focus on manufacturing processes, while sales positions are market expansion-oriented, covering roles such as sales consultants, brand promotion, and marketing specialists.
Data shows that in the first five months of this year, the number of job postings and job seekers in technical positions accounted for 62% and 71% of the total, respectively, far exceeding production and sales positions, ranking first. “These technical positions include familiar roles such as mechanical design engineers, robotics algorithm engineers, and application scenario planners, who provide full-cycle technical services for the development and design work of the robotics industry. Overall, technical positions account for over 60%, indicating that the industry is still in a critical period of technological research and development,” Li Qiang noted.
The current changes in the supply and demand structure of talent in the robotics industry are related to the development stage of the industry.
Researcher Zhang Xiaolan from the National Information Center’s Economic Forecasting Department analyzed that the current robotics industry in China is still in a critical period of technological research and scenario validation and has not yet entered the stage of large-scale mass production. In the near future, the demand for talent in technical research and development, system debugging, and solution optimization in the robotics field will become more urgent.
Characteristics of Youth and High Education Are Obvious
On June 17, the “Vibrant China Research Tour” visited the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center. At the event, the performance of the Tian Gong robot smoothly traversing lawns, beaches, and gravel attracted significant media attention. Jiang Zheyuan, founder and chairman of Songyan Power, the research institution behind this robot, stated, “Our company rarely has employees born before the 1990s; most are post-90s. This defines the most significant characteristic of our team: young and energetic!”
“Young and energetic” is the most prominent feature of the talent profile in China’s robotics industry. The Report shows that, from an age structure perspective, job seekers in the robotics industry exhibit a clear trend of youthfulness. Statistics indicate that 72% of job seekers in the robotics industry are under 35 years old. Zhang Xiaolan noted that this figure reflects the high enthusiasm of the younger generation for participating in the robotics industry. The youthful talent structure not only injects continuous innovation momentum into the industry but also provides a guarantee for future talent reserves.
In addition to youthfulness, talent in the robotics industry generally has a high level of education. According to Zhaopin’s data, among job seekers in the robotics industry, the proportions of those with high school or below, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees or above are 5%, 29%, 56%, and 10%, respectively, with 66% of job seekers holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. As a technology-intensive emerging industry with significant potential, the robotics industry is in a period of accelerated technological iteration, leading to a high demand for highly educated talent.
Technological advancements are driving talent from traditional manufacturing and the internet to transition into the robotics industry. The Report’s analysis of the previous industries of job seekers in technical positions found that, in addition to traditional manufacturing such as equipment manufacturing, there is also a high proportion of talent from high-end technology industries such as integrated circuits and industrial automation, as well as from IT and internet sectors. This phenomenon indicates that, with continuous technological progress, the robotics industry is leveraging its development advantages to attract a diverse influx of talent. A large number of individuals from traditional manufacturing, high-end technology industries, and the internet are accelerating their transition to emerging industries in search of new career development opportunities and spaces.
The younger generation has a clear advantage in embracing new technologies, algorithm development, and software iteration.
This aligns closely with the demand for innovation vitality and rapid learning capabilities in technical positions, highlighting the talent aggregation effect on the youth in the industry. Huang Mingming, founding partner of Mingshi Venture Capital, who has long focused on the development of the robotics industry, stated that over the past 30 years, China has formed a solid foundation in underlying hardware and software fields. When combined with artificial intelligence technology, this will lead to some original innovations in many fields, especially in robotics. Today’s entrepreneurs in the robotics industry should not simply replicate past models but should be more daring to be pioneers.
Talent is Accelerating Regional Concentration
In the robotics industry, various positions are showing a trend of diversification, providing strong support for comprehensive industry development. At the same time, the supply and demand for talent are exhibiting a clear regional concentration effect, with structural talent shortages remaining prominent.
For example, in the case of robotics algorithm positions, which are core technical roles in the robotics industry, the growth rate of recruitment demand and average salaries for these positions have ranked first among technical roles this year, playing a key role in the development of the robotics industry. The Report shows that the top three cities for the demand for robotics algorithm engineers are Beijing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai.
Specifically, the demand for robotics algorithm engineers in Beijing and Shanghai is mainly concentrated in the IT and internet sectors, while in Shenzhen, it is primarily focused on the automotive sector. With strong economic foundations, dense high-end R&D resources, and complete industrial chain ecosystems, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are driving the demand for robotics algorithm engineers in their respective key industries. Additionally, cities like Nanjing, Changsha, and Hangzhou have shown impressive development in the robotics industry in recent years, significantly boosting the demand for talent, including algorithm engineers.
“Taking Beijing as an example, there are currently over 400 core robotics companies, including 57 national specialized and innovative ‘little giant’ robotics companies, ranking first in the country; nearly 30 humanoid robot manufacturing units, also ranking first in the country. The huge market demand and strong industrial foundation naturally attract the concentration of talent in the robotics industry. However, from an industry-wide perspective, talent shortages remain a reality,” Li Qiang stated.
The state of talent supply and demand directly affects the speed and quality of innovation and development in the industry. With the continuous emphasis on talent in the robotics industry by the state, relevant support policies are gradually being implemented. In recent years, among the new occupations released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 15 are directly related to artificial intelligence/robotics, and the number of related majors offered by universities has also seen explosive growth. With the urgent demand for digital transformation in the industry, talent and technology in the robotics field are expected to experience rapid development, further driving relevant enterprises to accelerate cross-industry collaboration and collaborative innovation.
No matter how advanced AI robotics becomes, it is always a stage scene of harmonious coexistence.