Log in to the Sina Finance APP and search for [Information Disclosure] to view more evaluation levels (Source: Chicheng Release) [Economic Interface] Editor's Note: In recent years, new professions and new types of work have continued to emerge in China, becoming new driving forces for vigorous economic and social development. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released 11 new professions, including embodied intelligent robot application technicians, corporate sustainable development planners, microgrid administrators, satellite navigation equipment installers and adjusters, and water electrolysis hydrogen production workers. The release of new professions has opened up new space for workers' employment and entrepreneurship and has become a source of fresh momentum for employment growth. What skill requirements do these new professions have? What technological charm do they demonstrate? In this issue of the Economic Weekly, reporters approached workers in five new professions and asked them to tell their career stories.
Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Worker: Turning Wind and Solar into Green Hydrogen
Reporter Yao Yaqi. In Chicheng, Hebei, across the vast mountain ridges along the Bashang edge, wind turbines stand in long lines, continuously converting strong wind energy into clean electricity that flows steadily into the power grid. Not far away, at the Chicheng Hydrogen Production Plant of CHN Energy Guohua Investment, a green electricity-coupled water electrolysis hydrogen production line operates stably and continuously. The green hydrogen produced, after separation, purification, and pressurization, is transported outward in an orderly manner to supply various application scenarios such as industry and transportation. Behind this new artery pulsing with green energy is a group of workers engaged in the novel and little-known work of water electrolysis hydrogen production. On the green hydrogen production line at the Guohua Investment Chicheng Hydrogen Production Plant, Han Hong, a water electrolysis hydrogen production worker, is focusing on monitoring on-site production conditions. Every hour he must conduct inspections, check whether equipment is operating normally and whether hidden risks exist, and formulate and take corrective measures. "Water electrolysis hydrogen production, simply put, uses green electricity generated by wind and solar power to split water through an electrolytic reaction and produce hydrogen," Han Hong told the reporter. "When wind and solar resources are good, the green electricity that cannot all be used is wasted. We take this clean green electricity to 'split water' and produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is a clean energy source. After combustion, it only produces water and does not cause environmental pollution." What appears to be a simple process of water electrolysis hydrogen production is not simply "electrifying water to split it," but rather an intersection of multiple disciplines including electrochemistry, chemical engineering processes, electrical engineering, automatic control, and hydrogen safety. In addition, unlike traditional chemical installations, water electrolysis hydrogen production requires frequent adjustment of equipment load according to wind and solar resource conditions, and when necessary, the entire set of equipment must be started and shut down. This requires water electrolysis hydrogen production workers to possess both advanced and comprehensive skills. "We need to master the principles of the water electrolysis hydrogen production process and be familiar with the supporting systems for water electrolysis. At the same time, we must master electrical and chemical engineering knowledge and, based on parameters such as electrolyzer current, voltage, temperature, and pressure, adjust the operating state of the equipment in a timely manner," Han Hong said. "Some emergencies in practical operations have brought us challenges and also given me a deeper understanding of the work," Han Hong said. On a late autumn afternoon, the weather changed abruptly, the wind power curve on the central control system fluctuated sharply, and wind turbine output surged instantly. He kept a close watch on the real-time output and power forecast data of the wind farm, simultaneously monitored electrolyzer voltage, hydrogen and oxygen liquid levels, and lye temperature, and gradually adjusted the electrolyzer load in stages to avoid severe system power fluctuations. "Seizing every gust of wind and converting fleeting green electricity into storable and transportable clean energy, that is the value of our work," Han Hong said with emotion. Risk identification and safety judgment capabilities are also qualities that water electrolysis hydrogen production workers must possess. Hydrogen has a "bad temper": its molecules are small, its explosion limit is wide, and its ignition energy is low, making it highly prone to leakage-induced combustion or explosion, with high risk. "Careful on-site inspections and identifying and anticipating hidden risks are especially important," Han Hong said. Having worked in this position for four years, from design, civil construction, and equipment installation, through repeated debugging and rectification, to the stable and continuous production of qualified green hydrogen by the entire facility, Han Hong has witnessed green hydrogen go from a conceptual and abstract term to a product produced from project facilities with all indicators meeting standards. "Hydrogen energy is clean energy and belongs to an emerging industry. It has good development prospects and aligns with the national energy transition trend. As a water electrolysis hydrogen production worker, being able to stand on the track of national strategy and personally participate in hydrogen energy projects is a rare growth opportunity," Han Hong said. "When green hydrogen is continuously transported out to provide clean energy for hydrogen refueling stations and industrial users, I truly feel the value of this profession."
Microgrid Administrator: Calculating Green Benefits Between Energy Supply and Demand
Reporter Zhang Yi. On an autumn day at Liyang Chuangzhi Park in Changzhou, Jiangsu, photovoltaic panels spread quietly under the sunlight. In the energy control room of the net-zero carbon park at Liyang Chuangzhi Park, data such as real-time electricity spot prices and weather forecasts kept jumping on the smart energy display, and Chen Chang, an employee of State Grid Liyang Power Supply Company, moved his eyes quickly across the screen. From time to time, he lightly clicked the mouse to fine-tune, verify, and optimize the park microgrid AI control strategy. Microgrid administrators are the "actuaries" and "dispatchers" of the park energy system, a profession marked by both "green" and "digital" identities. Although it is a newly released profession, in Jiangsu, a leading province in the construction of new-type power systems, this work has long been "on duty." In August this year, Jiangsu became the first province in China with photovoltaic installed capacity exceeding 100 million kilowatts, of which distributed photovoltaic installed capacity reached 69.29 million kilowatts, ranking first in the country. Jiangsu's microgrid construction and application are at the forefront nationwide. The province's 13 prefecture-level cities are exploring differentiated paths according to local conditions. A total of 101 virtual power plants have been connected to the new-type power load management system, and 95 user-side smart microgrid demonstration projects are playing a positive role. Relying on its advantages in the new energy industry, Liyang took the lead in building the province's largest near-zero carbon park smart microgrid, forming a replicable and promotable model for integrated operation and maintenance of source-grid-load-storage. Behind these scenarios stands a group of microgrid administrators like Chen Chang. Chen Chang previously worked for a long time in traditional positions such as electricity use inspection and customer service, with the focus on safety inspections, hidden danger investigations, and business consultation. The core was to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid and reliable electricity use for customers, and the service model was relatively fixed. With the implementation of zero-carbon parks and smart microgrids, new energy-use scenarios have continued to emerge, and his responsibilities have also upgraded accordingly. In the morning, when electricity spot market prices were low, Chen Chang led the team to optimize the AI algorithm and adjust the storage and charging strategy on a rolling basis every 15 minutes, charging during low electricity price periods and discharging during high price periods, bringing the park nearly 10,000 yuan in additional revenue each month. By using microgrid energy management systems and other tools, microgrid administrators can monitor, forecast, and analyze microgrid power data, formulate and execute microgrid operation strategies, implement grid-connected and off-grid switching, grid-connected and islanded operation, and black starts, and analyze and evaluate microgrid performance. From a traditional electricity service worker to a microgrid administrator, Chen Chang's work is no longer simply "ensuring power supply and ensuring safety," but has shifted to intelligent regulation, market-oriented operation, and refined energy conservation of the power grid. He not only has to guide park staff in standardizing the operation of photovoltaic and storage equipment and mastering the operation and maintenance logic of new energy systems, but also must continuously iterate AI energy management strategies, optimize the charging and discharging rhythm of energy storage, participate in electricity spot market regulation, and use manual intervention to make intelligent systems adapt to complex and changeable production energy-use scenarios. From a traditional electric power service position to a specialized new green profession, Chen Chang's growth trajectory is a vivid portrayal of the transformation and upgrading of the energy industry in the new era and the iterative expansion of green professions. The inclusion of microgrid administrators in the national new profession system not only fills the professional gap in the field of smart energy operation and maintenance, but also precisely matches the rigid demand for talent in the construction of new-type power systems. Tangible green efficiency gains have followed. In 2025, the Liyang Chuangzhi Park microgrid saved 7.2 million yuan in annual energy costs, reduced carbon emissions by 16,800 tons, and lowered the park's cost per kilowatt-hour by 0.21 yuan. Since 2026, Chen Chang has continued to refine the operation plan, further optimizing the park's comprehensive cost per kilowatt-hour to 0.25 yuan, continuously releasing the economic and ecological value of the new-type power system. "This operation and maintenance management model has already been proven. Next, we plan to replicate and promote it to more parks and key manufacturing enterprises," Chen Chang said. The team will also continue to cultivate compound microgrid management talent who understand technology, the market, and operations. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a key period for comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development and a critical period for peaking carbon emissions. As an important component of the new-type power system, microgrids play an irreplaceable role in enhancing the flexible regulation capacity of the power grid, improving the reliability of power supply in remote areas, and promoting the efficient consumption of distributed energy.
Embodied Intelligent Robot Application Technician: Making Robots Automatically Get to Work
Reporter Zhao Jie. Carrying materials, giving exhibition hall explanations, accompanying and caring for people with disabilities. With the development of embodied intelligence technology, robots are beginning to enter more real-world scenarios. What truly makes these robots "move" and "work" is a group of technical personnel responsible for assembly, debugging, and maintenance. They have a profession that is becoming more widely known: embodied intelligent robot application technician. He Minghui, head of the embodied intelligence maintenance and assembly project at Dalian Tiesse Technology Development Co., Ltd., is one of them. What exactly does this profession do? "Simply put, it is installing, debugging, and repairing humanoid robots to ensure their stable operation," He Minghui said. He Minghui studied mechanical manufacturing and began working in embodied intelligence-related work three years ago. Unlike programmers responsible for algorithm development, he mainly undertakes physical complete-machine assembly, hardware maintenance, and collaborative debugging of software and hardware. "Most traditional equipment failures stem from mechanical or circuit problems. Embodied intelligent robots are also equipped with intelligent systems, and some faults are difficult to classify simply as problems in a single link," he introduced. When a robot malfunctions, it may be due to the mechanical structure or poor software-hardware compatibility. In daily work, new machines must complete assembly and inspection, and faulty prototype machines need to be disassembled and investigated. In addition, he must handle customer repair requests, manage accessories, and organize maintenance training. Among these, the most energy-consuming task is troubleshooting intermittent faults. Such problems do not continuously recur, so one can only repeatedly test to find the cause. In He Minghui's view, the real test is not in the laboratory, but in real implementation scenarios. "The laboratory has constant temperature and low vibration, and prototype testing conditions are stable. But once it comes to scenarios such as exhibitions, prototypes need to be disassembled and transported, reassembled and wired on site, and environmental changes such as temperature fluctuations may cause problems such as loose wiring and overheated joints," he said. Even if software interaction is normal, the robot may still experience movement failure due to hardware faults. An experience at a New Year's Eve gala left a deep impression on him. At the "Set Sail 2026 - China Media Group New Year's Eve Gala," five robots named "Xiao Qi" from the company were to perform on the same stage with singers. That day, the outdoor temperature dropped sharply. According to the original design, after the robot entered standby mode, it would automatically cut off the power supply to the signal board of the servo, which can precisely control rotation angles, to prevent the servo from overheating. But in a low-temperature environment, the signal boards in the robot's hands and head failed one after another after power was cut off. On-site engineers urgently modified the debugging program to keep the signal boards continuously powered, relying on the heat generated by the circuit boards to resist the low temperature. During the official performance, the robots successfully completed the entire set of movements. Similar troubleshooting is very common in He Minghui's work. He believes that this job most tests hands-on ability, troubleshooting logic, and patience. Some problems can only be completely solved through repeated disassembly, testing, and observation. At present, the robots of He Minghui's company mainly target scenarios with high demand for human-robot interaction and are deployed in cultural tourism scenic areas, science and technology exhibition halls, and fields such as elderly care and medical care. In his view, engaging in this profession requires mastering mechanical structures and circuit knowledge, being able to read equipment drawings, and possessing strong hands-on ability, troubleshooting thinking, and on-the-spot adaptability. "Embodied intelligent robots are becoming smarter and smarter, which cannot be separated from high-quality hardware, nor from the practical operation and judgment of technicians," He Minghui said. One must practice hands-on operation more and accumulate frontline practical experience.
Corporate Sustainable Development Planner: Planning That "Grows" into the Entire Production and Operation Process
Reporter Wen Yuan. September, Beijing. In the meeting room of Responsibility Cloud Group, Lan Siqi pushed a stack of project materials to one side and picked up a pen to draw five boxes on a blank sheet of paper. She spoke quickly, and when she came to "closed loop," the tip of her pen pressed heavily on the last box. As consulting general manager of Responsibility Cloud Group, she has seen too many companies begin promoting sustainable development by "writing a report," only to end up stopping at the "report." What she cares about is another matter: how ESG, meaning environmental, social, and corporate governance, moves from paper into operations and from concept into action. Responsibility Cloud Group is a leading institution in the field of corporate sustainable development planning in China. Over 20 years, Lan Siqi and her team have served more than 150 Fortune Global 500 companies and more than 100 listed companies, formulating more than 100 social responsibility/ESG management measures and more than 120 various development plans. Behind the numbers is her long-term observation of the path of sustainable development for Chinese enterprises. "Corporate sustainable development planning is a systematic project. It cannot start from scratch; it must connect to the company's existing strategy and business context," Lan Siqi divided this line into five steps: The first step is strategy formulation. Analyze and formulate the company's sustainable development strategy and incorporate it into the company's medium- and long-term development plan and annual business plan, so as to deploy, advance, and assess together and avoid a "two-skin" situation. The second step is topic assessment. Comprehensively assess regulatory requirements, market expectations, and stakeholder demands to form management priorities. The third step is system building. Promote the establishment of a three-tier governance structure and deliberation and coordination mechanism of "decision-making level, management level, and execution level," so that strategy execution has rules to follow. The fourth step is business integration. Embed strategic requirements into core links of the value chain such as investment, research and development, procurement, and production, and transform them into specific management actions and business behaviors for each business unit. The fifth step is implementation. Break down strategic goals layer by layer into annual tasks, budget arrangements, and responsibility lists, implement regular operation monitoring of key indicators, regularly carry out execution evaluations, iterate goals and measures in light of business changes, and form a management closed loop. "What is planning most afraid of? Most afraid that once it is finished, it is locked in a drawer," Lan Siqi said. "ESG must 'grow' in the processes of investment, research and development, procurement, and production, not 'grow' in the public relations department's PowerPoint." Different types of enterprises do not face the same sustainable development exam. Lan Siqi said that large state-owned enterprises must closely follow the requirements of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council to "enhance core functions and improve core competitiveness" and the task of building world-class enterprises. The demands of listed companies mostly stem from the capital market. Corporate ESG performance directly affects index inclusion, financing costs, and market recognition, and planning mostly uses information disclosure and rating evaluation as the starting point. For multinational enterprises, the core of ESG is the localized implementation of global standards, and a positive cycle must be formed in environmental protection, labor rights, and community communication. "State-owned enterprises are like weaving a net, listed companies are like fighting a battle, and multinational companies are like building a bridge," Lan Siqi said by way of analogy. "But in the end, all must return to the same question: can this plan become business action?" Another important part of Lan Siqi's work is combining international ESG standards with the actual operations of Chinese enterprises. She told reporters that Chinese enterprises following some international standards for sustainable development helps improve the international comparability and recognition of their disclosed information, but the priority order of topics must be placed back in the Chinese context. The "dual carbon" goals, rural revitalization, and the Belt and Road Initiative are sources of substantive topics that distinguish Chinese enterprises from international peers. Ultimately, an indicator foundation of "one system, multiple mappings" must be formed so that one report can simultaneously meet the differentiated needs of regulators, rating agencies, and international investors. In Lan Siqi's view, the current construction of ESG strategies among Chinese enterprises is undergoing a historic turn from "voluntary" to "conscious" and from "information disclosure" to "system building," but the divergence is quite obvious. Listed subsidiaries of central state-owned enterprises and leading "going global" enterprises are at the forefront, while the large number of small and medium-sized enterprises are mostly in the initial and wait-and-see stage. Regarding the future, she judged that the scope of mandatory corporate information disclosure will continue to expand, extending from listed companies to a broader range of market entities, while further moving toward standardization and unification. Key topics will move from qualitative description to quantitative disclosure, and the focus of ESG will shift from compliance orientation to value creation. ESG talent will gradually move toward specialization and professionalization. Some scholars predict that from 2025 to 2030, China's demand for sustainable development planning talent will exceed 2.2 million, and in the short term the market will be in short supply. "The inclusion of corporate sustainable development planners as a new profession will help promote the standardization and systematization of the supply and cultivation system for sustainable development planning talent," Lan Siqi said.
Satellite Navigation Equipment Installer and Adjuster: Craftsmanship Guards Beidou's Connectivity for All
Reporter Zhang Wen, Correspondent Wang Xuejiao. The Beidou Satellite Navigation System is a national-level spatiotemporal infrastructure independently developed and independently operated by China, shouldering the important mission of national spatiotemporal information security. After decades of independent tackling of key problems, the Beidou system has been fully completed and operates stably. Today, Beidou services have been deeply integrated into the national economy and daily life. From transportation, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries to meteorological monitoring and emergency rescue, high-precision, all-weather Beidou signals cover all walks of life and have become an important spatiotemporal cornerstone supporting the digital and intelligent development of society. Stars form a network in the sky, while craftsmanship empowers on the ground. A mature navigation system is not limited to satellites above the sky; it also depends on the precise operation of supporting products such as ground terminals, receiving base stations, and navigation boards. The vigorous development of the Beidou industry has placed extremely high demands on the precision, stability, and anti-interference capability of ground equipment. Against this background, the new profession of "satellite navigation equipment installer and adjuster" emerged and has become an indispensable key link in the industrial chain. At the 54th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, a comprehensive and enterprising installation and adjustment team is quietly holding its ground. On clean workbenches, instruments hum softly and data flicker. This is their main battlefield. Unlike ordinary electronic work, Beidou installation and adjustment is a refined, specialized, and compound task. Wearing anti-static work clothes and relying on precision instruments such as spectrum analyzers and navigation signal simulators, they complete the entire process from component welding, precision assembly, simulation debugging, to full-domain testing. Carefully calibrating parameters, observing signals in real time, simulating complex working conditions, and troubleshooting operational hazards, every procedure is directly related to the stability and reliability of navigation and positioning accuracy. The improvement of accuracy comes from brave efforts to overcome obstacles. Facing occasional signal fluctuations and positioning deviations in the trial production of new navigation terminals, the installation and adjustment team took the initiative. They stayed on duty continuously day and night, reproduced fault scenarios, sorted out signal links one by one, compared massive amounts of data, and investigated hardware assembly and software algorithms layer by layer, finally identifying the root cause and providing solid support for product optimization. The improvement of accuracy also comes from field verification across mountains and rivers. To adapt to China's complex and diverse geographical environments, the team travels to the front lines all year round: going deep into the extreme cold of Mohe to record satellite signals, stationed on Hainan Island to collect marine characteristics, traveling to the western Gobi to capture terrain patterns, and moving through eastern cities to improve anti-interference parameters. These measured data from all directions provide solid support for algorithm optimization and parameter matching, continuously improving the practical capabilities of Beidou equipment. Looking up at the starry sky, Beidou shines; standing at one's post, craftsmanship builds dreams. The high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening of the Beidou industry requires not only high-tech talent to tackle core problems, but also the deep commitment and perseverance of frontline installation and adjustment talent. Liu Zhongying, 31 years old this year, is one of the team members. Since joining the Beidou navigation equipment installation and adjustment team five years ago, he started from zero foundation, gradually mastered theories such as the Beidou signal system and radio frequency circuits, and became proficient in various precision testing instruments. He told reporters: "Every screw held in hand and every set of parameters checked are connected to the vast starry sky." No matter how harsh the field conditions are, one must rise to the challenge and not allow the slightest negligence. Liu Zhongying and his colleagues guard their original aspiration with craftsmanship, making every installation and adjustment and every set of parameters solid and reliable in ordinary positions. It is precisely this silent perseverance on the ground that makes Beidou signals more stable and lays a solid technical foundation for China's satellite navigation cause.
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