China to leverage AI for job creation; foreign-talent channels set for overhaul

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping used the NPC podium on 7 March 2026 to outline how China will “harness AI to generate millions of new occupations” over the next five years. Seventy-two new job categories—20 of them AI-related—have already been recognised, each forecast to create up to half-a-million positions in its initial stage. Although the briefing focused on domestic employment, officials later confirmed to media that work-permit regulations will be updated to align with the new occupational catalogue. Category A visas (for high-end talent) will explicitly list emergent AI roles, while provincial authorities will receive quotas to fast-track foreign specialists whose skills are unavailable locally. Corporate mobility managers should note the renewed emphasis on wage thresholds: Beijing and Shanghai quietly raised salary minima for foreign-worker categories in February 2026, a move the ministry framed as “quality over quantity.” Firms planning 2026 assignments must budget for higher guaranteed incomes or explore R-visa research exemptions. Wang also hinted at a pilot programme that would allow foreign AI researchers to apply for multi-entry five-year talent visas without a pre-arranged Chinese employer, mirroring elements of the U.S. O-1 visa. Details are expected in the second half of 2026 after inter-agency consultation. Taken together, the announcements suggest China is recalibrating its mobility regime—tightening baseline salary rules while opening elite channels—to secure the expertise needed for its AI and advanced-manufacturing push.