Geological Survey Workers Green occupation

How to become a Field Geologist

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 地质调查员

Also called: Regional Geologist, Mineral Exploration Geologist, Marine Geologist, Environmental Geologist, Hydrogeologist, Engineering Geologist, Mine Geologist

Carries out basic geological surveys, specialist geological surveys and geological hazard surveys.

Main tasks

Doing field reconnaissance, observing and describing geological features, measuring sections, collecting samples, and logging and mapping geology
Collecting and interpreting geological, geophysical and geochemical, remote sensing, survey and test data together
Analysing basic geological questions and how ore deposits form, and marking out exploration targets
Surveying the geological structure and possible minerals of the continental shelf and seabed
Surveying geological landscapes, geological heritage and fossils
Surveying groundwater resources and monitoring groundwater over time
Surveying geological conditions at construction sites, assessing stability and engineering geology risks and monitoring geological effects after works finish
Investigating how geological hazards of all kinds form and assessing how dangerous they are
Guiding mine closure and the restoration of mine environments
Surveying chemical elements in soil, where they come from and other features of the farmland geological environment
Organising survey records and writing geological survey reports

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Ecological Geological Survey (420103). Vocational major 420103 Ecological Geological Survey (生态地质调查), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Engineering Geological Investigation (420201). Vocational major 420201 Engineering Geological Investigation (工程地质勘查), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Geological Survey and Mineral Prospecting (420102). Vocational major 420102 Geological Survey and Mineral Prospecting (地质调查与矿产普查), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology (420202). Vocational major 420202 Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology (水文与工程地质), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Land and Resources Survey and Management (420101). Vocational major 420101 Land and Resources Survey and Management (国土资源调查与管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Surveying and Geographic Information Data Acquisition and Processing; Real Estate Data Collection and Database Building.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Mineral Geological Exploration (420104). Vocational major 420104 Mineral Geological Exploration (矿产地质勘查), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Real Estate Data Collection and Database Building.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Rock and Mineral Analysis and Identification (420106). Vocational major 420106 Rock and Mineral Analysis and Identification (岩矿分析与鉴定), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Digital Technology Applications in Mining.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Geological Hazard Investigation and Remediation Construction (620206). Vocational major 620206 Geological Hazard Investigation and Remediation Construction (地质灾害调查与治理施工), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥67,400 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥49,200 to CN¥96,500. One in ten earn less than CN¥38,000 and one in ten more than CN¥140,900.
This is the figure for the mid group Technical Support Services 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¥81,552 a year (2025), middle half CN¥62,000 to CN¥114,247.
This is the figure for the mid group Technical Support Services Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Technical Support Services Workers holds 0.75% of everyone employed in China; 36.7% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
64.4% are under 35, 33.1% are 35 to 54 and 2.5% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 30 to 34.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Field Geologist?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Ecological Geological Survey (420103); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Engineering Geological Investigation (420201).

How much does a Field Geologist earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥67,400 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 Technical Support Services Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥81,552 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Field Geologist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

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
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Bureau of Statistics: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China, 2022 edition (public consultation draft) (2022 public consultation draft (1,636 occupations; final edition 1,639)), 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