China enters 2026 with strong growth ambitions amid evolving workforce expectations, says Hays
New insights released by Hays, the global leader in
specialist recruitment and workforce solutions, reveal five key
trends shaping China’s hiring landscape in 2026.
Despite ongoing economic headwinds, organisations
across China are entering the Year of the Horse with a clear
appetite for growth, while also facing heightened challenges around
talent retention, workforce expectations and the rapid adoption of
AI technologies.
Key findings for China
1. Organisations are still looking to grow despite economic pressures
87 per cent of employers in China cite growing their
organisation as a key strategic priority for 2026.
Employers are focused on:
Expanding market share (41 per cent)
Improving competitiveness (36 per cent)
Increasing turnover (31 per cent)
Growth strategies are shifting toward targeted capabilities,
critical roles and sustainable, productivity‑focused workforce
planning rather than broad headcount expansion.
2. Talent retention emerges as a major barrier to growth
18 per cent of employers identify talent retention as their
biggest obstacle to achieving organisational goals.
Market competitiveness, evolving employee expectations and
Chinese New Year job movement amplify retention challenges.
Career development, progression clarity and manager‑led
engagement are emerging as key differentiators.
3. Flexible work remains a core attraction driver
34 per cent of professionals in China say flexible working
arrangements are important to them.
According to professionals. flexibility has a direct impact on:
Work‑life balance (68 per cent agree)
Productivity (55 per cent agree)
Retention and motivation (41 per cent agree)
Organisations embedding flexible models are better positioned to
sustain performance and reduce attrition risk.
4. Conversational AI becomes part of everyday workflows
93 per cent of professionals in China now use conversational AI
tools (e.g., DeepSeek), slightly higher than the Asia average (92
per cent).
AI is being used to support productivity in areas such as
multilingual content creation, analytics and decision‑making.
Employers must balance opportunity with governance through
training, policy clarity and responsible‑use frameworks.
5. International mobility continues to attract professionals
61 per cent of professionals in China would consider an overseas
role for career development and global exposure.
Mobility programmes are becoming a powerful tool for attracting
and retaining ambitious, globally minded talent.
Organisations connecting international experiences with
long‑term career progression see greater retention impact.
Marc Burrage, Managing Director of Hays Asia
“China enters 2026 with remarkable resilience and
ambition. Employers are focused on growth and innovation, yet the
landscape is increasingly defined by shifting expectations around
flexibility, development and the use of AI in everyday work.”
“What we see locally is that the most successful
organisations are those that invest deliberately in their people by
strengthening skills, supporting adaptability and creating
environments where talent can thrive. As the pace of change
accelerates, the opportunity for China lies in building workforces
that are not only highly skilled, but also globally minded, agile
and ready to meet the demands of the future.”
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 30 June 2025, the Group employed over
9,500 staff operating from 207 offices in 31 countries. For the
year ended 30 June 2025:
the Group reported net fees of £972.4 million and operating
profit of £45.6 million.
the Group placed around 46,400 candidates into permanent jobs
and around 211,500 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 62% of net fees
and the permanent placement business represented 38% of net fees.
Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 25% of net
fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%), Engineering (11%)
and Construction & Property (11%), 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, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, UAE, the UK, and the USA.
