Check local shortage and subsidy lists instead of equating online salary claims with demand
Local training subsidies depend partly on occupational shortages and training costs, so their size can provide a clue to local demand. Online claims about monthly earnings usually come from advertised salaries or personal accounts. Successful earners are more visible, and the figures often omit working hours, commuting, occupational illness, and seasonal fluctuations.
What it takes
Nothing. Read two local documents.
What you may gain
China's policy requires differentiated subsidies based on the urgency and scarcity of an occupation and the cost of training. Local authorities use these criteria to choose subsidized training programs. The source treats differences in subsidies for the same occupation between cities as a signal of local shortages; because training cost is also a criterion, the amount should be read as an indicator rather than a pure measure of demand.
Context & considerations
Pending verification: official national sources for average wages by occupation and occupational shortage rankings could not be obtained from the relevant human resources ministry pages during the source's research. Widely shared monthly earnings claims mostly come from job-platform listings or individuals' own accounts. Visible examples disproportionately feature people who have done well and rarely account for hours, commuting, occupational disease, or busy and quiet seasons. Check the local human resources bureau's subsidy catalogue and public employment services' demand rankings, then speak to people actually working at relevant building sites, factories, or shops.
Research & references
State Council Leading Group for Employment Promotion and Labor Protection (2025). Guiding opinions on a large-scale vocational skills improvement training initiative. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202507/content_7032222.htm