China's brightest graduates are turning to manufacturing

For years China's top students gravitated toward tech and finance, but that is changing. Tsinghua University reports the number of graduates entering manufacturing and energy rose 19.1% year over year for the class of 2025, and that share has grown for six consecutive years; the class of 2024 saw an 11% increase.

Major employers hiring Tsinghua alumni include Huawei, BYD, State Grid Corporation of China and China National Nuclear Corporation. The shift is visible beyond the capital’s flagship university. Huazhong University of Science and Technology data show about 2,000 graduates entered information technology and roughly 1,500 went into manufacturing, while just around 300 joined finance and 240 went into construction.

A MyCOS Institute report, cited by the South China Morning Post, found the share of Chinese graduates entering manufacturing rose from 17.9% in 2020 to 22.5% in 2024. Experts point to rising technical intensity in sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries and renewable energy.

China

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