China's automotive talent community gathered in Shenzhen on September 10 for the 20th anniversary of the China Talent Research Society's Automotive Talent Committee, a milestone event that doubled as a stocktaking of an industry in deep transition. Nearly 300 delegates from automakers, parts suppliers, government bodies, universities and media attended, according to EV视界 (EV Vision).
The event, hosted by the committee and organised by Shenzhen Hangsheng Electronics, carried the theme "Riding the momentum, opening a new chapter." Speakers used the occasion to warn that China's auto industry, while now a global leader, faces an acute mismatch between the talent it needs and the talent it has — and that the next two decades will demand a fundamental rethink of how people are trained, managed and retained.
Workforce shrinks as industry transforms
One of the most striking figures came from the committee's Li Zhele, who presented research showing China's auto industry employed about 16.74 million people by the end of 2025, down 26.3% from 2022. The losses are concentrated downstream — in sales, service and distribution — while upstream component makers and R&D teams are still hiring. The report projects a further decline of 1.78 million jobs, or 10.7%, by 2030, with employment shifting toward upstream parts production.
Fu Yuwu, the committee's former chairman, framed the moment as a call for a "second startup." He said China's auto industry now leads globally but is grappling with brutal domestic competition — the much-discussed "neijuan" (involution) — and a talent supply that is poorly matched to demand. "Talent work is a first-leader project," he said, urging coordinated effort across government, industry and academia.
Yang Hong, chairman of Hangsheng Electronics, struck a similar note, arguing that China's auto industry must abandon shortcuts and embrace long-termism. He warned against repeating the mistakes of China's motorcycle industry, which expanded overseas rapidly in the 1990s before retreating on quality and service problems. "Technical capability determines the speed of action," Yang said, calling for quality-first exports, reasonable profits and localised service.
AI reshapes jobs and management
A recurring theme was the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce. Zhao Fuquan, honorary chairman of FISITA and dean of Tsinghua University's Automotive Industry and Technology Strategy Institute, described AI as changing not just how cars are made but how work itself is organised. He predicted the workplace will shift from human-only teams to "human + intelligent agents + robots," with management moving from experience-driven hierarchies to data-driven, target-oriented structures.
Deloitte's senior consulting director Gao Ran said corporate AI adoption has moved from exploration to restructuring, with "digital employees" taking on task-based work. Liu Songbo, a professor at Renmin University's School of Labor and Human Resources, argued that middle managers' "micro-decisions" in strategy execution, coordination and risk control cannot be replaced by AI, even as talent management evolves from human resources to human capital.
The event also looked outward. Wei Wenqing, executive deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, predicted Chinese auto exports will climb to about 10.5 million vehicles in 2030, capturing roughly 14% of the global market, and approach 30% penetration by mid-century. He said China's auto industry has entered a "going in" phase of internationalisation, strong in hardware but weak in software — a gap that extends to talent, compliance and supply-chain management overseas.
The committee, founded in 2005 in Shanghai's Jiading district, said it will break down organisational boundaries to better connect government, companies, universities and workers. The next annual meeting is scheduled for August 21-22, 2025, in Shanghai.
Based on reporting by EV视界. Edited and published in English by geisou.
