How to become an Irrigation District Operator
Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 灌区管理工
Also called: Channel Maintenance Worker, Irrigation Water Supply Worker
Operates irrigation and drainage works and irrigation trial facilities, runs and looks after the works, and shares out irrigation water.
Main tasks
- Measuring soil moisture and compaction
- Observing and recording water levels and flows in channels and ditches
- Inspecting, maintaining and repairing irrigation and drainage works and dealing with problems
- Managing and maintaining bores and pumping stations
- Servicing pumps and the motors and machinery that go with them
Ways in
- Vocational majors: Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Modern Irrigation Technology (650204). Vocational major 650204 Modern Irrigation Technology (现代灌溉技术), 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: IoT Smart Agriculture System Integration and Applications.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Water Conservancy Project Operation and Management (650201). Vocational major 650201 Water Conservancy Project Operation and Management (水利工程运行与管理), 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: Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing.
Pay · AI and this job
- Median pay in China: CN¥40,700 a year (2025).
- Middle half: CN¥31,600 to CN¥54,000. One in ten earn less than CN¥26,600 and one in ten more than CN¥74,300.
- This is the figure for the mid group Water Conservancy, Environment and Public Facilities Management 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¥51,000 a year (2025), middle half CN¥41,559 to CN¥67,051.
- This is the figure for the mid group Water Conservancy, Environment and Public Facilities Management 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 Water Conservancy, Environment and Public Facilities Management Workers holds 1.64% of everyone employed in China; 60.8% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
- 7.9% are under 35, 53% are 35 to 54 and 39.1% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 50 to 54.
- Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Irrigation District Operator?
Ways in include: Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Modern Irrigation Technology (650204); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Water Conservancy Project Operation and Management (650201).
How much does an Irrigation District Operator earn in China?
Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥40,700 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 Water Conservancy, Environment and Public Facilities Management Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥51,000 a year (2025).
Will AI change the work of an Irrigation District Operator?
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
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