Gas Production, Processing and Transmission Workers

How to become a Compressor Operator

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 压缩机操作工

Operates gas compressors and related equipment to compress gases and send them on.

Main tasks

Getting ready before start up and starting compressors
Adjusting inlet and outlet pressure and temperature at each stage so the gas is compressed stage by stage, cooled and separated as the pressure rises
Checking the temperature, flow and level of lubricating oil and cooling water
Maintaining compressors and other equipment
Dealing with problems and incidents while compressors and motors are running
Recording and keeping production data

Pay

Median pay in China: CN¥79,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,300 to CN¥123,900. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,100 and one in ten more than CN¥188,500.
This is the figure for the mid group Electricity, Heat, Gas and Water Production and Distribution Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥112,870 a year (2025), middle half CN¥83,100 to CN¥137,206.
This is the figure for the minor group Gas Production, Processing and Transmission Workers, not for this job alone.

Who does this work

The census group Electricity, Heat, Gas and Water Production and Distribution Workers holds 0.14% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
30.1% are under 35, 56% are 35 to 54 and 13.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 40 to 44.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How much does a Compressor Operator earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Electricity, Heat, Gas and Water Production and Distribution Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥112,870 a year (2025).

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026