AI-related positions driving campus recruitment

Artificial intelligence capabilities are becoming increasingly essential for China's graduating students, as AI-related positions jumped nearly 50 percent year-on-year and now account for almost four in every 10 campus recruitment openings, according to a new industry report.

The report, released by Chinese recruitment platform Maimai, showed that the number of campus recruitment openings grew 3.56 percent year-on-year during the first five months of 2026. Growth was driven overwhelmingly by AI-related hiring, which rose 47.3 percent year-on-year over the same period.

As a result, AI's share of newly posted graduate positions climbed from 26.41 percent in 2025 to 37.56 percent this year, meaning that nearly four out of every 10 campus vacancies now require AI-related capabilities.

The changing recruitment landscape is also influencing graduates' career choices. While internet giants remain the preferred employers for many students, interest is spreading rapidly toward hard-tech sectors.

According to the report, ByteDance, Tencent, Meituan and JD remained among the most searched employers by graduates from leading universities. At the same time, companies specializing in semiconductors, AI chips, electric vehicles and intelligent hardware have also attracted growing attention.

Chipmakers such as Hygon, Cambricon, Phytium, Moore Threads, CXMT and YMTC all entered the list of the 50 most searched employers, while electric vehicle makers BYD, XPeng and Nio, together with drone manufacturer DJI and camera company Insta360, also ranked among students' most-followed companies.