"Digital humans" conduct interviews 24/7 without interruption, and inputting job requirements can automatically generate test questions; global talent management platforms connect cross-border labor resources with a single click... As a vital pillar of modern producer services, China's human resources service industry is at a critical juncture of transformation. It annually builds employment bridges for 300 million workers and provides professional support to over 50 million employer organizations, opening a new chapter where talent services drive industry development and industries, in turn, foster talent growth, all amidst the waves of digitalization and global expansion.
The focus is on digital and intelligent innovation. Once considered novel experiences in the human resources service industry, video interviews and live-streamed job promotions have now become commonplace. Following the rapid development of the digital economy during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, big data, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing have become standard features in the sector. Today, human resources services have expanded beyond traditional functions like recruitment, staffing, and headhunting into diversified, high-value-added areas such as human management consulting and cross-border resource coordination, significantly enhancing the efficiency of industry resource matching.
"The human resources service industry is a crucial force in promoting high-quality and full employment and building a modern industrial system. It is currently at a historical intersection of technological innovation and industrial restructuring," said Wang Xiaohui, Deputy General Manager of China International Intellectech (Group) Co., Ltd. (中智集团). He noted that while the industry is developing rapidly, it also faces issues such as unbalanced and insufficient development and service homogenization. Data shows that by the end of 2024, there were 74,000 human resources service institutions nationwide, the vast majority of which are small and medium-sized organizations with fewer than 50 employees or annual revenues below 5 million yuan. Although growth rates are faster in central and western regions, there remains a gap in industrial foundation and technological investment compared to the eastern regions.
The "involution-style" competition within the human resources service industry has led to a decline in overall profit margins. Meanwhile, there is an insufficient supply of high-value services such as executive search and assessment, making it difficult to meet the high-level demands of enterprises. The key to breaking this deadlock lies in digital and intelligent innovation. At the recently held Third Development Conference for the Human Resources Service Industry, China International Intellectech (Group) Co., Ltd. launched a digital human resources service system with an industry cloud as its core foundation. On-site demonstrations featured the "Guangmou" AI digital human intelligent recruitment and interview system, which presented not traditional pre-set question banks but personalized interview questions intelligently generated by domestic large language models.
Wang Xiaohui explained that the significant value of this system lies in using digital means to help institutions within the industry, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, achieve technology sharing and business complementarity, thereby lowering the threshold for technological research and development and reducing single procurement costs, allowing them to focus more on business innovation.
Expanding into global markets is another key trend. The Central Economic Work Conference proposed orderly expanding autonomous opening in the service sector and improving comprehensive overseas service systems. The human resources service industry is now transitioning from a phase of "bringing in" to "going global." As Chinese companies expand their overseas operations, "helping Chinese enterprises land and operate abroad" has become an important growth area for the human resources service industry. In recent years, human resources service agencies have actively布局 overseas markets, gradually accelerating their internationalization process.
"There are currently three core issues for the human resources service industry: the application of AI and digital technologies, the integration of manufacturing and producer services, and international cooperation," said Xiong Ying, Chairman of Guangzhou Honghai Human Resources Group Co., Ltd. (广州红海人力资源集团股份有限公司). Hou Zengyan, Deputy Director of the Foreign Labor and Social Security Research Office at the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, explained that human resources service companies are focusing on different stages of Chinese companies' overseas expansion. Through various paths such as establishing overseas branches and investment mergers and acquisitions, they are building a global service network, offering targeted integrated solutions ranging from overseas research and consulting, talent dispatch, and localized recruitment to employment management, supporting Chinese companies in their "going global" endeavors.
Many order-based foreign trade enterprises in Guangdong often encounter issues related to local employment policy compliance and cross-border social security coordination when expanding overseas. Xiong Ying suggested that relevant authorities establish compliance platforms to help companies understand employment and compliance policies in various countries and create overseas service alliances that integrate resources in human resources, finance, taxation, and law to provide comprehensive overseas services for Chinese-funded enterprises.
Policy support is also being strengthened. In October 2025, the China-Kyrgyzstan Social Security Agreement officially took effect, bringing the total number of countries with which China has signed bilateral social security agreements to 13, including Germany, South Korea, and Denmark. "This can effectively resolve the issue of 'double social security contributions' for multinational companies and their employees, reducing business operating costs," said Wang Tao, Second-Level Inspector of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. He stated that the Ministry will continue to implement the effective social security agreements and actively plan to negotiate agreements with more countries, particularly those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and neighboring nations, to further reduce labor costs for multinational enterprises and protect the social security rights of cross-border workers.
Promoting the "integration of the two industries" – specifically, human resources services and manufacturing – is crucial. Whether in digital application or international development, the growth of the human resources service industry is closely linked to manufacturing. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee explicitly called for improving the integrated development level of modern services with advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture, charting the direction for the industry's development. "Manufacturing is an important sector for employment. The transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development of manufacturing cannot be achieved without high-quality, professional talent support and diverse, efficient human resources services," Hou Zengyan said. Human resources services for the manufacturing sector account for nearly 40% of the total industry service volume. Promoting supply-side reform in the human resources service industry and precisely对接 the talent needs of manufacturing is key to the industry's own transformation and upgrading.
Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized the implementation of an innovation and development action plan for the human resources service industry and formulated opinions on strengthening human resources services to support the high-quality development of manufacturing. It selected 39 cities nationwide to carry out integrated development pilots, aiming to enhance the development and utilization level of human resources in manufacturing and form a development pattern where the modern industrial system and high-quality full employment efficiently协同.
Various regions are actively promoting the "integration of the two industries." The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has continuously compiled and published the "Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Key Industries High-Level Talent Demand Directory" for five years, building an efficient and convenient communication platform for high-level talent and employers. For three consecutive years, it has provided talent introduction and cultivation reward support totaling 28 million yuan to 110 key industrial chain enterprises, promoting the synergy between human resources services and the region's key industries for适配 and增效.
Zhang Wenmiao, Director of the Human Resources Mobility Management Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, stated that the Ministry will encourage market institutions to actively connect with major projects, significant engineering works, and key enterprises through branded activities such as the "National Recruitment Action" and the Human Resources Service Agencies Boosting Employment Action. These initiatives will provide services like recruitment matching and skills training, strengthen labor surplus and shortage adjustments, and tackle seasonal and structural labor shortages. Focusing on urgently needed and scarce occupations in industrial development, the Ministry will innovate and promote methods like live-streamed job promotions, targeted recruitment, and one-stop services to guide the labor force towards areas with shortages. It will also support human resources service agencies in actively participating in the construction of industry-education-assessment skill ecosystems, increasing the efforts in skills talent cultivation and training, aligned with the needs of industrial development towards high-end, intelligent, green, and integrated directions and the career development needs of workers.
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