Civil Engineering Construction Workers

How to become a Road Maintenance Worker

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 公路养护工

Also called: Road Patrol and Maintenance Worker, Bridge Patrol and Maintenance Worker, Tunnel Patrol and Maintenance Worker

Uses tools and equipment to manage and maintain bridges, tunnels, highways, city streets, airport runways and similar.

Main tasks

Monitoring and patrolling roads for traffic, condition and safety, and maintaining, repairing and strengthening them
Monitoring and patrolling bridges for traffic, condition and safety, and maintaining, repairing and strengthening them
Monitoring and patrolling tunnels for traffic, condition and safety, and maintaining, repairing and strengthening them
Monitoring and patrolling airport runways and taxiways for use, condition and safety, and maintaining, repairing and strengthening them
Clearing obstructions from roads with machinery

Ways in

Vocational majors: Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Highway Maintenance and Management (700202). Vocational major 700202 Highway Maintenance and Management (公路养护与管理), 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: Road and Bridge Nondestructive Testing; Digital Applications in Construction Cost Engineering.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Mine Construction Technology (620502). Vocational major 620502 Mine Construction Technology (矿井建设技术), 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: Intelligent Coal Mining.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (630104). Vocational major 630104 Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (输配电线路施工与运行), 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: Distribution Line Operation and Maintenance; Transmission Line Construction and Maintenance; Power Cable Installation and Maintenance.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥60,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥46,600 to CN¥81,500. One in ten earn less than CN¥36,100 and one in ten more than CN¥106,900.
This is the figure for the mid group Construction 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¥101,573 a year (2025), middle half CN¥69,597 to CN¥129,224.
This is the figure for the minor group Civil Engineering Construction 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 Construction Workers holds 9.52% of everyone employed in China; 14.2% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
25% are under 35, 58.1% are 35 to 54 and 16.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 45 to 49.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Road Maintenance Worker?

Ways in include: Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Highway Maintenance and Management (700202); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Mine Construction Technology (620502).

How much does a Road Maintenance Worker earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥60,000 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 Construction Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥101,573 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Road Maintenance Worker?

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