China's auto industry needs more professionals and skilled workers

As China's auto industry is growing rapidly, the lack of professionals and skilled workers at different segments of auto industry has become a bottleneck over years, China's auto industry official said at an auto industry forum last Sunday.

"Not only do we lack management professionals who know both auto technology and management, we also need to have more cross-industry professionals who are experts both in auto manufacturing, electronics and computer technology," said Zhang Xiaoyu, deputy director of China Machinery Industry Federation.

China's colleges turn out about 6,000-7,000 auto graduates annually, which barely meets the demand of the fast growing auto industry, said Yu Zhui Ping, dean of College of Automobiles, Tongji University. "However, the operations of a large independent R&D system alone require at least 7,000 auto professionals."

China now has over 5,800 auto manufacturers or auto parts makers, which employ nearly 2.2 million professional workers, according to official statistics. 

The population of China's auto industry employees will grow 10% annually over next decade; namely it will reach 3.57 million by 2010; 5 million by 2015 and 7.76 million by 2020, according to China Auto Industry Talents Development Strategy Report prepared by a group of auto experts from Tongji University.

Experts predict that China's auto sales will reach 10 million in 2007 and will overtake the United States by 2016.

"Though China's auto industry has its own R&D teams prior to 2000, they were very weak: they basically borrowed auto technologies from foreign auto-makers; there were few automobile majors in colleges prior to 2000 and it was easier to be admitted to these areas of studies in college," said Tang Youmin, a PhD student from College of Mechanics and Automobile Engineering, Hunan University.

"However, things began to change in 2000. Since the rapid growth of Geely and Chery, the government has become increasingly concerned with R&D programs in auto industry and this has provided an unprecedented chance for the development of auto majors in colleges."