China jobs: Beijing urged to reform vocational education and end discrimination to plug skilled worker gap

China’s skilled worker shortage was a hot topic of discussion last week during the country’s annual parliamentary meetings known as the ‘two sessions’

Two lawmakers say China must tackle long-held perceptions that technically skilled jobs are inferior and ensure training meets changing trends in manufacturing

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Chinese lawmakers are grappling with how to ensure there are enough skilled technicians to meet the country’s advanced manufacturing goals. Illustration: Brian Wang

Published: 12:00pm, 17 Mar 2023Updated: 10:52am, 13 Apr 2023

China must break down the stigma surrounding vocational education and open up new pathways for academically gifted students if it aspires to become a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing, according to lawmakers and policy advisers who took part in the recent “two sessions”.

The world’s second-largest economy needs to address challenges including low enthusiasm among young people towards vocational training, social discrimination against graduates, and a mismatch between the demands of firms and the training offered by schools, the delegates said.

China’s skilled worker shortage was a hot topic of discussion last week during the country’s annual parliamentary meetings known as the “two sessions”. While headlines have focused on Beijing’s efforts to bolster science and technology capabilities and kick-start the economy, lawmakers also grappled with how to ensure there are enough skilled technicians to meet its goals in advanced manufacturing and self-sufficiency.

Li Xiaoxuan, a delegate of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said Beijing needs to break social prejudice towards vocational graduates.

Data provided by Li, who is also executive president of Yunnan Technology and Business University, showed that only 1.4 per cent of jobs available in last year’s national civil service exam were for vocational school graduates – a marked contrast with the 92.5 per cent offered to university undergraduates.

“[This shows] that the so-called first-degree discrimination faced by junior college students still exists, and I suggest public institutions and state-owned enterprises take the lead in breaking down the threshold of academic discrimination,” Li said in an interview with the Post.