In the fourth quarter of 2025, the average monthly salary for algorithm engineers reached approximately 25,000 yuan, while corporate demand for these positions surged by 110%; recruitment for drone engineers increased by nearly 60% year-on-year, with an average monthly salary of about 16,600 yuan; the robotics industry saw a 60% increase in demand for engineers; Suzhou emerged as the city with the highest demand for high-end equipment talent... As new quality productive forces develop, structural changes in the job market are becoming apparent. A mid-January report, the "Q4 2025 Talent Market Hotspots Report" released by the Zhaopin Research Institute based on platform big data, indicates that during the fourth quarter of 2025, corporate recruitment demand continued to grow in areas such as new-generation information technology, high-end equipment, new materials, aerospace, and new energy vehicles, with significant changes observed in the number of positions, salary levels, and skill requirements.

Another major growth area for talent demand in Q4 2025 was the modern service sector. Online-to-Offline (O2O) life services led by a significant margin with a 62.7% year-on-year increase in job postings, demonstrating the deep integration and model innovation of digital services in the consumer sector. Demand for positions in gaming (26.4%), the automotive aftermarket (21.0%), pet services (15.3%), and elderly care/nursing (2.5%) maintained relatively fast growth, meeting residents' increasingly diverse and quality-oriented life service needs.

The report highlighted that as large language models entered a phase of deepened application, the new-generation information technology sector exhibited strong expansion momentum in Q4 2025, with artificial intelligence and smart hardware becoming the primary sources of job growth. During this period, the AI industry saw a 19.0% year-on-year increase in job postings, while the smart hardware industry grew by 11.5%. Within AI, corporate demand for algorithm engineers was most prominent, with an average monthly salary of 25,236 yuan and a staggering 110.1% year-on-year increase in postings, making it the most outstanding profession in the field. Concurrently, positions for robotics algorithms offered an average monthly salary of 24,426 yuan, with demand growing by 30.7% year-on-year. In smart hardware, positions such as embedded software development, embedded hardware, and hardware engineers saw average monthly salaries ranging from 15,000 to 18,000 yuan, with demand rising by 17.6%, 11.7%, and 6.8% respectively. These roles often require one to two years to reach independent proficiency, involving long learning and growth cycles; experience is highly valued, with market competitiveness strengthening over time.

In Q4 2025, corporate demand for supporting roles like operations, maintenance, and testing also increased. For instance, demand for test engineers, software testers, and operations engineers grew by over 20% year-on-year, with average monthly salaries around 11,000 yuan, representing essential support forces as AI systems are deployed on a large scale. Geographically, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou ranked as the top three cities for talent demand in new-generation information technology, collectively accounting for over 20% of job postings. Beijing showed prominent demand for algorithm and foundational software roles, while Shenzhen and Hangzhou maintained high recruitment activity in smart hardware and e-commerce related positions, respectively.

Driven by policies and market forces focusing on strengthening supply chains, smart factories, and automation, investment in the high-end equipment industry continued to rise. In Q4 2025, job postings in the robotics industry grew by 37.3% year-on-year, military manufacturing by 28.8%, with demand also increasing for roles in general equipment manufacturing and industrial automation. Within robotics, postings for robotics commissioning engineers surged by 64.1% year-on-year, and for industrial robotics engineers by 60.6%, with average monthly salaries of 9,908 yuan and 11,956 yuan, respectively. In the electrical/control/automation sector, demand for electrical engineers, control engineers, and motor engineers grew by 42.1%, 21.0%, and 14.7% year-on-year, with average monthly salaries between 12,000 and 17,000 yuan—these positions face high technical barriers and a relative shortage of talent, driving up demand and salary levels.

Talent demand in mechanical manufacturing roles was also robust. In Q4 2025, postings for mechanical engineers and mechanical structure engineers increased by 30.5% and 20.4% year-on-year, with average monthly salaries reaching 12,784 yuan and 13,729 yuan, respectively. Amid the wave of intelligent and precision-oriented industrial upgrades, talent demand is trending towards "stable volume but rising quality." From a city perspective, Suzhou became the city with the highest demand for high-end equipment talent, followed by Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Wuxi. The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions are the primary hubs for high-end equipment technical talent. Suzhou's active development of smart manufacturing has attracted a large number of companies in precision manufacturing, robotics systems, and motion control.

The report also noted that as demand expands in sectors like new energy, high-end equipment, and aerospace, the new materials industry is in a phase of accelerated iteration and production expansion. Recruitment demand in the new materials industry grew 28.1% year-on-year in Q4 2025. Polymer materials engineers commanded an average monthly salary of approximately 16,600 yuan, the highest in the field, with demand growing 21.1% year-on-year, albeit with significantly higher educational barriers. Zhaopin data shows that 61.9% of polymer materials engineer positions require a bachelor's degree, while 33.9% require a master's or doctoral degree, together accounting for nearly 96% of postings. Positions also require relevant skills or certifications, with companies favoring highly educated talent with systematic research training to cope with intense technological competition and iteration.

In the aerospace industry, job postings increased by 12.3% year-on-year in Q4 2025. Navigation algorithm engineers and algorithm engineers commanded high average monthly salaries of approximately 26,000 yuan and 21,600 yuan, respectively. In aircraft manufacturing, demand grew noticeably for mechanical structure engineers, mechanical process engineers, engine engineers, and aircraft design and manufacturing talent, with monthly salaries ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 yuan, representing core technical positions. Furthermore, with the booming development of the low-altitude economy, recruitment for drone engineers increased by nearly 60% year-on-year in Q4 2025, with an average monthly salary of about 16,600 yuan, matching its rapid growth. As drones find expanded applications in inspection, security, agriculture, and other fields, this profession is gradually forming an independent talent demand structure.

In the new energy vehicle sector during Q4 2025, demand for automotive parts positions grew by 11% year-on-year. Automotive structure engineers and automotive mechanical engineers saw average monthly salaries of around 14,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan, respectively, with postings increasing by approximately 50% year-on-year. Positions for interior and exterior design engineers grew by 8.3% year-on-year, with an average monthly salary of 14,000 yuan. Demand also increased for mold engineers and automotive parts design roles, with monthly salaries around 12,000 yuan. The Zhaopin report concludes that the Q4 2025 talent market outlines a demand landscape led by industries related to new quality productive forces. Sectors like new-generation information technology, high-end equipment, new materials, aerospace, and new energy vehicles continue to release demand, leading to an increase in job numbers, higher salary levels, and upgraded skill requirements.