The fight for AI talent heats up in China, as tech employers boost pay

The scarcity of AI talent has set off a recruitment battle, with companies offering above-average pay to woo the right candidate

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Demand for AI talent continues to surge in China. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00am, 11 Nov 2024

A scramble for artificial intelligence (AI) talent is intensifying in China, as local tech giants dangle eye-watering salaries to hire top-notch professionals to compete in a heated AI race.

Beijing-based smartphone giant Xiaomi will be hosting a special hiring session for AI experts in areas spanning AI models, computer vision, deep learning, autonomous driving and natural language processing, as well as other roles, according to a post published to its official WeChat account on Friday.

The company said it is providing a “fast track” for some jobseekers, who will be able to skip written tests and have their applications reviewed directly by the corresponding business department to speed up the hiring process.

Xiaomi is just the latest in a long list of Chinese Big Tech firms rushing to boost their AI manpower, as they seek to catch up with US companies in the fast-developing field and capture emerging opportunities in the local market. TikTok owner ByteDance, search engine operator Baidu and food delivery giant Meituan have all been ramping up their hiring for AI roles.

An AI robotic bartender at an import expo in Shanghai last week. Photo: Xinhua

That hiring spree corresponds to a surging demand for AI talent across China in the first half of this year, particularly for natural language processing (NLP) experts, who are highly sought after by both established companies and fledgling start-ups, according to a report from Peking University and recruitment platform Zhilian Zhaopin.