Statistics show: Why are this year’s graduates keen on entering the manufacturing industry?

In recent years, the job choices of some young people have been shifting from virtual to tangible industries. In the past, many graduates preferred high-paying sectors such as the internet and finance. Among blue-collar workers, flexible jobs like food delivery and courier services were more popular than factory work. However, the allure of these glamorous industries has diminished, even though they still have no shortage of applicants.

Data from recruitment agencies shows that the proportion of 2023 graduates applying for IT, internet, and gaming industries has decreased by 32.95% compared to the 2021 cohort, while applications for mechanical and manufacturing roles have surged by 104.47%. Furthermore, in the third quarter of this year, manufacturing positions aimed at fresh graduates showed that the proportion of general workers and technicians focused on basic tasks was not high; companies were more interested in hiring sales personnel and engineers.

According to Xinhua News, the head of the Party Organization Department of an automotive group in Shaanxi stated that they received over 10,000 resumes during their 2023 campus recruitment, indicating a growing willingness among university students to enter the manufacturing sector.

What has caused this trend shift, leading master’s and doctoral students to favor factory jobs while programmers leave large tech companies for manufacturing roles? What is the experience of working in a factory like?

In April 2023, BYD’s new factory in Zhengzhou officially began operations. In June, during graduation season, Yi Qian, who graduated with a master’s degree in logistics engineering management from Henan, joined BYD to manage warehouse logistics. Most of Yi Qian’s classmates pursued teaching positions or other opportunities in major internet companies, but she felt that the manufacturing industry was a more stable and reliable choice.

Before graduating, Yi Qian had interned at JD.com, where she initially expected her job to involve sitting in an office, handling data, and creating PowerPoint presentations. However, during the first month of her onboarding, she spent her days on the factory floor identifying areas for improvement, which left her physically exhausted.

Despite this, many university graduates entering the manufacturing sector find it challenging to adapt to their new environment, seeking “psychological comfort” through social media posts. In online communities and video platforms, some have noted the strict educational hierarchy within manufacturing, where the tasks of PhD, master’s, and high school graduates differ significantly. Some question whether students who have spent four years in academia can adjust to such an environment. However, others point out that technical positions in manufacturing are stable and offer long-term growth, becoming more valuable with age.

The “educational content” of the manufacturing industry is gradually increasing. According to the employment quality report for college graduates, manufacturing is the second-largest industry for graduates from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2023, with 16.75% entering this field, second only to information transmission, software, and IT services. Additionally, compared to 2022, the proportion of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates entering manufacturing has increased.

In some comprehensive universities, manufacturing is also the industry with the largest share of employment. For instance, at Jilin University, Shanghai University, and Anhui University, the proportions are 23.9% (2024), 27.67% (2022), and 22.58% (2023), respectively. Even at Peking University, the percentage of graduates entering manufacturing has risen from 1.74% in 2016 to 4.13% in 2022.

On a macro level, the educational structure of the workforce in manufacturing has undergone significant changes. Over the past decade, not only has the proportion of university graduates increased, but the percentage of individuals with education levels at or below elementary school has also risen.

According to People’s Daily, BYD’s total recruitment for 2023 reached 31,800, with master’s and doctoral graduates making up 61.3% of the total. The intensity of recruitment has even led netizens to describe it as “click to receive an offer.”

The polarization and “barbell” changes in the industry are closely related to advancements in production technology and the promotion of intelligent technologies. A paper published in Shanghai Economic Research found that from 2004 to 2018, employment in China’s manufacturing sectors categorized by high, medium, and low-skilled labor all experienced positive growth, with only the medium-low skilled sector seeing a slight decline.

This indicates that in the development of manufacturing, individuals with both high and low educational backgrounds and skills can find opportunities amid technological advancements and the promotion of intelligent technologies. According to Economic Observer, a human resources manager at a high-end CNC system development company noted that traditional high-tech manufacturing enterprises still require a large number of general workers in addition to R&D talent and on-site engineers.

The technological content of manufacturing has increased and has entered a new level. Dim lighting, hot air, female workers on assembly lines, and young people tightening screws are images that many associate with manufacturing factories, especially a decade ago.

In reality, manufacturing encompasses dozens of sub-industries, ranging from agricultural product processing and tobacco manufacturing to instrument manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, with varying levels of technological content and dependence on human labor.

According to the sixth national census data, in 2010, young people aged 20-24 in manufacturing were primarily concentrated in textiles and apparel. At that time, the buzzword was still “Made in China,” rather than “Intelligent Manufacturing,” and “Made in China” was often associated with low cost.

By 2020, the industry with the highest concentration of young people aged 20-24 shifted to computer, communication, and other electronic device manufacturing, accounting for over 20%. Behind this complex and lengthy industry are well-known companies such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Hikvision, Foxconn Industrial Internet, BOE Technology Group, and ZTE.

The technological content of manufacturing workers has also been on the rise. According to the China Science and Technology Statistical Yearbook, from 2013 to 2022, the proportion of manufacturing enterprises with R&D activities increased from 14.6% to 38.1%. On average, the median number of R&D personnel across industries grew from 68,000 to 100,000 over the decade.

Additionally, The Paper analyzed the employee composition of 556 large A-share listed manufacturing companies and found that the overall proportion of technical and R&D personnel has been increasing over the past ten years, nearing 20%, while the proportion of frontline production workers has decreased.

Among these, nine manufacturing companies reported total revenue and net profit attributable to shareholders in the top 20 of A-shares in the first half of this year. Compared to 2014, the proportion of technical personnel in these companies has generally increased by 3% to 10% by 2023. For instance, Gree Electric Appliances, a traditional electrical machinery and equipment manufacturer, saw its proportion of technical personnel rise from 9.23% to 21.5%.

As reported by People, manufacturing “is not a suddenly emerging industry, but for young people, it indeed feels like a new choice.”

What will the manufacturing industry look like in the next 10 or 20 years? For the young people who have chosen it today, seeing real factories, engaging with tangible products, and learning genuine skills may significantly reduce their feelings of emptiness.