Zhaopin: Shanghai's artificial intelligence job positions saw the fastest growth rate in the first half of the year.

On July 16th, based on the data of the first half of 2026, Zhaopin released the "2026 Artificial Intelligence Industry Talent Development Report". The data shows that the number of recruiting companies in the artificial intelligence industry increased by 24.8% compared to the previous year, and the number of positions increased by 10.6%. In terms of job structure, research and development technology positions accounted for the highest proportion, while non-technical positions such as human resources, sales, and product management entered the TOP15. In terms of geographical distribution, first-tier and new first-tier cities together accounted for 65% of AI industry recruitment demand. Among first-tier cities, Beijing has the largest artificial intelligence industry, while Shanghai has the fastest growth in job positions. New first-tier cities such as Changsha, Wuhan, and Chengdu lead the growth in AI industry recruitment. In specific areas, the supply-demand ratio for AI engineers is 2.62, with 87.7% growth in job positions for AI product managers; the demand for AI intelligent body development talents increased by 244%, indicating AI is transitioning from "auxiliary tools" to "autonomous execution". The demand for AI engineers in the aerospace field is growing rapidly, along with attractive recruitment salaries; there is a large talent gap for AI engineers in the automotive research/manufacturing industry, with a supply-demand ratio of 8.2; the number of AI engineers in the new energy industry is growing at a leading rate of 38.2%; AI product managers are accelerating their penetration into pharmaceuticals, automotive, and other fields, with pharmaceutical AI product managers earning up to 21,048 yuan.