Employment data released today on the Tsinghua University website shows that number of graduatesThe number of students entering the manufacturing and energy sectors in 2025 increased by 19,1% compared to last year. Leading employers included telecommunications giant Huawei, automaker BYD, the State Grid Corporation, and the National Nuclear Corporation, the university's press service reported.
Tsinghua University is considered China's leading engineering institution and a key source of talent for the country's tech and industrial giants. It is often compared to MIT or Stanford. According to Tsinghua, the share of graduates entering the manufacturing and energy sectors has been growing for six years in a row. The number of graduates in the class of 2024 choosing these fields increased by 11% compared to the previous year.
This trend isn't limited to China's most elite university. At Huazhong University of Science and Technology, employment statistics for the class of 2025, released in January, showed that approximately 2000 graduates will work in the information technology sector and about 1500 in manufacturing, compared with approximately 300 in finance and 240 in construction. According to a report by the consulting firm MyCOS Institute, the share of Chinese graduates entering manufacturing jobs increased from 17,9% in 2020 to 22,5% in 2024.
Experts believe a number of factors are pushing more and more graduates toward careers in manufacturing and energy. Chinese industrial sectors, particularly semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable energy, have become high-tech and now require highly skilled engineering personnel. Furthermore, these sectors offer "very competitive" salaries.
Experts say the nature of work in manufacturing has changed as China's industrial base modernizes. Industries such as electric vehicles, power equipment, and nuclear power now require expertise in engineering, data analysis, and systems integration. As a result, advanced manufacturing is increasingly viewed as a cutting-edge technology sector rather than an industry requiring manual labor. Highly skilled engineering or research positions in this sector carry significant prestige among engineering students.
For years, many top Chinese university graduates gravitated toward internet platforms and finance, lured by rapid growth and high salaries. But hiring in this sector has slowed, and tightening regulations have added uncertainty. Investor attention has shifted to hardware, industrial technology, and energy, diverting both capital and talent.
In recent years, China's tech sector has been cutting headcount as companies focus on cost reduction and efficiency. According to a report by Chinese financial news outlet Caixin, Alibaba's headcount has more than halved, from approximately 250,000 full-time employees in March 2022 to approximately 124,000 in March 2025. Baidu's headcount at the end of 2024 was 35,900, a 21,1% decline from its peak in 2021.
Meanwhile, demand in the manufacturing industry remains high. The government's workforce development plan for the manufacturing industry predicts that nearly 30 million skilled jobs in this sector could remain unfilled by 2025. China is the world's largest producer of electric vehicles, batteries, and solar equipment, and these sectors require a large number of skilled professionals.
According to experts, government policy has also contributed to the change in the labor market. Over the past ten years, the country has prioritized strategic sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, power equipment, and advanced materials through industrial policy, research programs, and large-scale investments.
China's labor market has long presented a challenging challenge for graduates. In December, the unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-olds (excluding students) was 16,5%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. By comparison, the unemployment rate among 25- to 29-year-olds was 6,9%, and among workers aged 30 to 59, it was 3,9%.
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Source: 3dnews.ru
