From Demographic Dividends to Talent Advantage

Human resourcesplay a vital role inpromoting economicgrowth. Accordingto a statistical report released byChina’s Ministry of Educationon the country’s educationalachievements in 2023， a totalof 498，300 schools of differenttypes operated at various levelsin the country， with 291 millionstudents enrolled and nearly19 million full-time teachersemployed. This vast educationalsystem has provided a solidfoundation for the cultivation ofhuman resources in China.

China’s number of annualgraduates in science， technology，engineering， and mathematics（STEM） is a highlight of itseducation system. More than fivemillion Chinese students earnSTEM degrees annually， andtop researchers from Chineseuniversities account for thelargest proportion working in theworld’s cutting-edge fields suchas artificial intelligence （AI）.The number of STEM doctoralgraduates， an important talentresource， is also growingrapidly.

In recent years， Chinahas continued to increase itsinvestment in human capital，and remarkable achievementshave been made in building aleading country in education.From 2012 to 2022， thecountry’s fiscal expenditureson education increased from2.2 trillion yuan to 4.85trillion yuan， with an averageannual growth rate of 8.23percent. Moreover， China’stotal investment in educationexceeded six trillion yuan forthe first time in 2022， whichwas 2.21 times that of 2012.

The accumulation of talenthas provided strong supportfor China’s technologicalinnovation and played a pivotalrole in promoting industrialtransformation and upgrading.Large AI models have beenwidely applied in multiplefields in China， injecting robustmomentum into the high-qualitydevelopment of China’s economy.

The international communityhas also paid great attention tothe potential of China’s humancapital. An increasing numberof international institutionsand enterprises are choosingto set up R&D centers inChina to share in the country’stalent dividends. Well-knownmultinational giants such asSchneider Electric and Applehave expanded their R&D basesin China.

The gradual accumulationand transformation of humanresources has led to a risingcontribution rate of China’stalent to economic growth，which has now exceeded 36percent. The figure is expectedto continue increasing forsome time. China is nowcontributing more wisdom andstrength to global economicdevelopment with abundanthuman resources and stronginnovation ability.