China launches jobs initiative to tackle AI's impact on the labour market
Beijing wants to recognise new AI occupations faster and revise hundreds of occupational standards. The impact of AI on employment is to be actively addressed.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on 10 October announced an initiative to respond to the effects of artificial intelligence on the labour market. China will actively address the impact of AI and other emerging technologies on employment, Vice Minister Li Zhong said, according to Xinhua news agency.
The plan includes a regular mechanism to identify new occupations – especially in AI, the digital economy, green and low-carbon development and modern services. More than 200 national occupational standards are to be created or revised during the current five-year plan running to 2030. Over the past five years China has added 72 new occupations to its official classification, including AI trainers, and another eleven since the start of this year.
According to the ministry, 10.52 million new urban jobs were created from January to September, 87.7 per cent of the annual target. Urban unemployment averaged 5.2 per cent in the first eight months. China's core AI industry is worth more than 1.2 trillion yuan, according to the government.