On March 26, the parallel forum of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting—the Innovation and Development Forum for Frontline Industrial Science and Technology Talent—was held. The “White Paper on Frontline Industrial Science and Technology Talent in the Capital” released at the forum shows that by the end of last year, the number of frontline industrial science and technology talent in Beijing reached 2.25 million, forming a talent team system with a complete echelon and a reasonable structure.
The white paper provides a comprehensive overview of frontline industrial science and technology talent in the capital, explaining its conceptual connotation, contemporary value, and practical logic. Using real-world cases, it analyzes its key role in promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, further clarifying the strategic direction for future cultivation and development.
The white paper indicates that by the end of 2025, the number of frontline industrial science and technology talent in the capital had reached 2.25 million, accounting for 20% of Beijing’s employed population. There are 200 frontline industrial science and technology personnel per 10,000 employed people, forming a talent team system with a complete echelon and a reasonable structure, featuring typical groups such as outstanding engineers, master craftsmen, and highly skilled talent.
Beijing has established a policy system covering the entire chain of talent cultivation, evaluation, incentives, and safeguards. Measures such as “Several Measures on Strengthening the Construction of Outstanding Engineer Teams,” “Several Measures on Cultivating Beijing Master Craftsmen Talent,” and “Several Measures on Cultivating High-Skilled Leading Talent in Beijing” have been introduced to support the growth of frontline industrial science and technology talent.
“Several Measures on Cultivating High-Skilled Leading Talent in Beijing” introduces nine measures to further improve the coordinated promotion mechanism for the cultivation, utilization, evaluation, and incentivization of highly skilled talent, focusing on cultivating a group of high-quality, highly skilled leading talent with excellent craftsmanship in “high-precision, cutting-edge, and scarce” fields.
According to the measures, Beijing will establish a talent cultivation information database to comprehensively analyze the quantity and structure of high-skilled leading talent. Young skilled talent with outstanding skills and performance in key fields, as well as top performers in various vocational skill competitions, will become key cultivation targets for leading talent.
Career development pathways for highly skilled talent will become more畅通: Beijing supports highly skilled talent with exquisite craftsmanship and outstanding performance in key and urgently needed fields to be directly certified as senior technicians according to regulations; it supports eligible high-skilled leading talent to apply for senior professional title evaluations. Simultaneously, Beijing will explore a new “one evaluation, dual certification” model for technical and skilled talent in key fields, allowing eligible highly skilled talent to obtain both vocational skill level certificates and professional title certificates through a single evaluation.
Beijing will implement a craftsman talent cultivation project, building a talent growth echelon led by master craftsmen, demonstrated by Beijing master craftsmen, and based on craftsmen at various levels. “Several Measures on Cultivating Beijing Master Craftsmen Talent” focuses on the entire growth cycle of craftsman talent—selection, cultivation, and utilization—introducing eight specific measures across four major aspects to create a “powerful engine” for empowering craftsman talent cultivation, aiming to cultivate more master craftsmen and highly skilled talent. By 2035, the goal is to cultivate 30 master craftsmen, 300 Beijing master craftsmen, and 1,500 district (industry)-level craftsmen.
Furthermore, an employee innovation promotion plan will be implemented: annual funding will be provided to support 60 employee innovation studios and alliances, 100 employee innovation projects, 200 master-apprentice pairs, and 1,000 employee job-related invention patents, promoting the落地转化 of craftsmen’s innovative成果. The “Pursuing Dreams Through Education Action” will also be launched, helping 20,000 industrial workers annually to提升学历技能 and broaden their career development space.
