"Come Work Here for 18 Million Won a Month"... AI Jobs See Hiring Surge 790% Year on Year

Chinese Tech Giants Go All Out to Secure AI Talent
AI Engineers' Salaries Soar
AI Job Postings Rise 789.47% Year on Year

As Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and ByteDance go all out to secure AI talent, sending local AI engineers' salaries soaring, hiring trends that once focused on in-house development are shifting toward roles in applied development, according to a new report.

On October 29, Chinese news outlet Cover News cited an analysis by local career platform Maimai, reporting that "a clear pattern is emerging among local tech giants such as Tencent and ByteDance: they are cutting back on AI algorithm positions while expanding roles related to applications and real-world scenarios."

AI-generated image.

Recently, these companies have been focusing on large language model (LLM) algorithms, AI-generated content (AIGC), AI search, AI agent development, AI infrastructure, and product operations. Monthly salaries for these roles range from 50,000 to 90,000 yuan (approximately 10 million to 18 million won), equivalent to annual salaries of more than 120 million to 210 million won.

A Tencent AIGC researcher reportedly earns 60,000 to 90,000 yuan a month (approximately 18 million won); an AI search algorithm engineer at ByteDance earns 50,000 to 80,000 yuan (approximately 10 million to 16 million won); and an AI agent algorithm specialist at Kuaishou can earn up to 90,000 yuan (approximately 18 million won).

Platform statistics show that the number of newly registered AI-related job postings from January through July this year surged 789.47% from the same period a year earlier. Of these, 60.97% were for AI application development roles focused on practical implementation. In particular, "agent development engineers," who understand users' intentions and carry out tasks independently, have emerged as a key hiring priority for companies.

The average monthly salary for newly posted AI-related jobs was 63,160 yuan (approximately 12.64 million won), up 2.74% from the same period a year earlier. Huo Chaodi, Maimai's recruitment lead, said, "Demand for AI talent is rapidly expanding from the foundational development of large models into practical service areas, including agent app development, improving business efficiency, and delivering on-site services."

Meanwhile, although minimum wages vary by region and job type, Shanghai had the nation's highest monthly minimum wage this year, at 2,740 yuan (approximately 540,000 won). Beijing ranked first for the hourly minimum wage, at 27.7 yuan (approximately 5,530 won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.