Digital Technology Engineers and Technicians Digital occupation

How to become a Smart Manufacturing Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 智能制造工程技术人员

Researches and develops smart manufacturing technology, and designs, installs, commissions, controls and applies smart manufacturing equipment and production lines.

Main tasks

Analysing, researching and developing smart manufacturing technology
Researching, designing and developing smart manufacturing equipment and production lines
Researching, developing and applying virtual simulation for smart manufacturing
Designing, operating and applying smart inspection systems
Designing, developing and applying smart production control systems
Installing, commissioning and deploying smart equipment and production lines
Using industrial software for digital design and manufacturing
Guiding staff in smart machining with smart equipment and production lines
Giving technical advice and services on smart manufacturing

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Mechanical Engineering (0802); Automation (0808); Electrical Engineering (0806); Electronic Information (0807); Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering (0813); Light Industry (0817); majors such as Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Automation, Intelligent Equipment and Systems, Mechatronic Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Automation. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Industrial Internet Applications (460310). Vocational major 460310 Industrial Internet Applications (工业互联网应用), 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: Industrial Internet Equipment Data Collection; Industrial Internet Predictive Maintenance; Industrial Internet Implementation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Industrial Robotics Technology (460305). Vocational major 460305 Industrial Robotics Technology (工业机器人技术), 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: Industrial Robot Application Programming; Industrial Robot Operation and Maintenance; Intelligent Manufacturing Production Management and Control.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Technology (470209). Vocational major 470209 Intelligent Chemical Manufacturing Technology (化工智能制造技术), 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: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis; Big Data Analysis and Applications.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Control Technology (460303). Vocational major 460303 Intelligent Control Technology (智能控制技术), 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: Industrial Robot Application Programming; Industrial Robot Integration; Industrial Robot Operation and Maintenance; Motion Control System Development and Applications; Industrial Internet Implementation and Maintenance; Intelligent Line Operation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Electromechanical Technology (460302). Vocational major 460302 Intelligent Electromechanical Technology (智能机电技术), 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: Machine Vision System Applications; Industrial Robot Application Programming; Intelligent Production Line Control and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Robotics Technology (460304). Vocational major 460304 Intelligent Robotics Technology (智能机器人技术), 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: Collaborative Robot Technology and Applications; Industrial Robot Application Programming; Intelligent Manufacturing Production Management and Control.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Printing Equipment Application Technology (480304). Vocational major 480304 Printing Equipment Application Technology (印刷设备应用技术), 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: Mechanical Digital Design and Manufacturing; Mechanical Engineering Drawing; Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment Installation and Commissioning.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Intelligent Production Line Installation and Maintenance (660306). Vocational major 660306 Intelligent Production Line Installation and Maintenance (智能化生产线安装与运维), 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 Manufacturing Equipment Operation and Maintenance; Intelligent Production Line Control and Maintenance; Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment Installation and Commissioning.
National qualification: National professional qualification: Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification. A national qualification that shows your level; it is not required to work. Listed in the national vocational qualifications catalogue (国家职业资格目录, 2021) as Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification (计算机技术与软件专业技术资格), run by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Peernovo links it to this occupation.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, 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¥172,500 a year (2025), middle half CN¥119,287 to CN¥317,400.
This is the figure for the minor group Digital Technology Engineers and Technicians, 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 Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Smart Manufacturing Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Industrial Internet Applications (460310); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Industrial Robotics Technology (460305).

How much does a Smart Manufacturing Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 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 Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥172,500 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Smart Manufacturing Engineer?

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