Intermediate level roles remain hardest to fill in China amid restructuring and selective hiring
A recent Hays survey reveals that skill shortages remain
widespread in China, with 87 percent of organisations experiencing
skill shortages in the past 12 months.
Key findings at a glance
Mid‑level talent is hardest to secure, with 47
percent of organisations struggling to hire for intermediate roles
Demand for human and transferable skills continues to grow, with
the most in‑demand capabilities being the ability to adopt
change (44 percent)
Competition from other employers is the leading
driver of skill shortages, cited by 48 percent of organisations
Only 41 percent of organisations currently offer training or
support to help employees adapt to AI tools at work
Mid‑level roles hardest to secure
The Salary Guide found that hiring challenges are most acute at the
middle and senior levels:
Intermediate‑level roles (47 percent)
Managers and directors (33 percent)
C‑suite roles (31 percent)
This reflects the difficulty many organisations face in attracting
professionals with a balance of technical expertise, leadership
capability and commercial experience.
Human skills increasingly in demand
As organisations adapt to continued economic uncertainty and
technological change, demand for human and transferable skills remains
strong. The most sought‑after skills in China were:
Ability to adopt change (44 percent)
Ability to learn and upskill (42 percent)
Problem solving (42 percent)
These findings underscore the growing importance of agility and
learning capability as organisations look to future‑proof their
workforce.
Competition and pay cited as primary drivers
When asked about the main causes of skill shortages, employers in
China pointed to external market pressures:
Competition from other employers (48 percent)
Pay levels (32 percent)
Lack of training and development available (32 percent)
With many organisations targeting the same limited talent pools,
competition has intensified, particularly for experienced
professionals with in‑demand skills.
AI adoption outpacing organisational support
While the use of AI is already widespread among professionals in
China, organisational support has yet to keep pace. The research found that:
84 percent of professionals already use AI technologies at work
Only 41 percent of organisations currently offer training or
support to help employees adapt to these technologies
Despite this gap, professionals are proactive about staying
relevant. An overwhelming 94 percent said they are willing to take
part in upskilling programmes to better adopt AI in the
workplace.
Marc Burrage, Managing Director of Hays Asia
“Critical talent gaps persist, particularly at intermediate and
leadership levels, despite cautious hiring sentiment.”
“As competition between employers intensifies, organisations are
looking for professionals who can adapt to change, continuously
upskill and solve complex problems, capabilities that are becoming
just as critical as technical expertise.”
“At the same time, rapid AI adoption is reshaping expectations.
Professionals are already embracing these technologies, but many
organisations have yet to provide the training and support needed to
maximise their impact. Employers that invest early in skills
development, learning pathways and AI enablement will be better placed
to close capability gaps and build more resilient teams over the long
term.”
About Hays Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading
specialist in recruitment and workforce solutions. The Group is the
expert at recruiting qualified, professional, and skilled people
worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany, and Australia
and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America,
and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors,
dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary
assignments. As of 31 December 2025, the Group employed over 9,100
staff operating from 198 offices in 30 countries. For the year ended
31 December 2025:
the Group reported net fees of £453.3 million and operating profit
of £20.1 million.
the Group placed around 21,000 candidates into permanent jobs and
around 53,000 people into temporary roles.
12% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New
Zealand, 32% in Germany, 20% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 36%
in Rest of World (RoW).
the temporary placement business represented 64% of net fees and
the permanent placement business represented 36% of net fees.
Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees,
while Accountancy & Finance (15%), Construction & Property
(12%), and Engineering (10%) are the next largest.
Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France,
Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK, and the USA.
