Key Findings
1. Since 2014, the scale of the total national labor force has exhibited a downward trend, but the number of labor force in the information industry has increased annually.
2. Compared with 2016, digital talents in 2018 tended to converge in urban centers such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the growth of the digital talents pool was faster in southern cities and slower in northern ones, showing the distinct differences between the northern and southern labor markets.
3. There are differences in the growth trend of cutting-edge digital talents (those working on AI, Block Chain, Cloud Computing, and Data Science, also known as "ABCD talents"). Among them, talents working in the AI and Block Chain Sectors are taking up an increasingly large proportion of the overall digital talents pool every year, while the proportion of Cloud Computing and Data Science talents is experiencing a downward trend.
4. Digital talents are mainly spread across the software and IT services and manufacturing industries, while ABCD talents are mainly engaged in the software and IT services industries. The proportion of digital talents in the software and IT services industry is increasing year by year, while that in the manufacturing industry is decreasing year by year. The proportion of ABCD talents in the software and IT services industry and the manufacturing industry is decreasing year by year. The proportion of ABCD talents in finance, education and corporate services industries is increasing year by year.
5. The ratio of ABCD talents to digital talents is highest in the three major industries of education, finance, and software and IT services. The ratio of ABCD talents to digital talents in manufacturing, hardware and networking, and construction industries is the lowest. However, from 2016 to 2018, the rate in software, finance and other service industries is decelerating, while that in manufacturing, construction and other industries is accelerating. From the perspective of trends, except for software and IT services, entertainment, and media and communications, the penetration rate of ABCD talents in other industries is rising, reflecting the deepening of digital transformation in traditional industries.
6. The attractiveness of the software and IT services industry to digital talents is increasing year by year, and most of digital talents in other industries are in a state of net outflow.
7. The penetration of digital talents from software and IT services to other industries is scattered, and they mainly migrate to the major four industries of corporate services (15.48%), finance (15.47%), hardware and networking (14.27%), and manufacturing (13.04%). The flow of digital talents out of the hardware and networking industry is relatively concentrated, with about 60% moving to software and IT services, and about 15% to manufacturing.
8. The sources of digital talents in manufacturing industries are relatively scattered, while in the finance industry they are mainly from software and IT services, which accounts for more than 55%.
9. In terms of regional distribution, digital talents in the software and IT services industries are mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, while those in the hardware and networking industry are mainly located in Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai. Digital talents in the manufacturing industry are mostly congregated in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Suzhou and Guangzhou, while those in finance are in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing.
10. In the software and IT services industry, Beijing has the greatest advantage in digital talents, and there is an obvious upward trend in Hangzhou and Shenzhen. In hardware and networking industry, Shenzhen has the most distinct advantages and the strongest attractiveness for digital talents; in the manufacturing industry, Shanghai and Shenzhen are the two cities recognized as being the most advantageous for digital talents, Shanghai in particular. In finance, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing are the most appealing cities, and Shenzhen is also emerging as an attractive location for talents to relocate to.
