Water Resources Engineers and Technicians Green occupation

How to become a Water Efficiency Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 节水工程技术人员

Develops and applies water saving technology and products and provides related technical services.

Main tasks

Writing water saving plans and water use standards, as well as water saving assessments and action plans
Running planned water use and quota management and reporting water use figures
Developing and applying water saving processes, technology, fittings and equipment
Upgrading water saving facilities in irrigation districts, promoting efficient irrigation, helping livestock and fish farming use less water, and breeding drought tolerant, water saving crops
Carrying out water saving and recycled water upgrades for industrial businesses
Pushing forward water saving upgrades in towns and cities and detecting leaks in supply networks
Promoting water recycling and cascading reuse, turning wastewater into a resource, desalination and rainwater harvesting
Carrying out water balance tests, water use audits and contract based water saving management

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Water Conservancy (0811); Agricultural Engineering (0823); Civil Engineering (0810); majors such as Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Water Science and Engineering, Agricultural Water Conservancy Engineering, Port, Waterway and Coastal Engineering, Road, Bridge and River Crossing Engineering, Water Affairs Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Electromechanical Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Technology (450206). Vocational major 450206 Electromechanical Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Technology (机电排灌工程技术), 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: Water Resources Engineering Quality Inspector Qualification; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM); Digital Applications in Construction Cost Engineering.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Management of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects (450204). Vocational major 450204 Intelligent Management of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects (水利水电工程智能管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: River Training and Waterway Engineering Technology (450207). Vocational major 450207 River Training and Waterway Engineering Technology (治河与航道工程技术), 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: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Supervising Engineer; Cost Engineer; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Smart Water Conservancy Technology (450202). Vocational major 450202 Smart Water Conservancy Technology (智慧水利技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Smart Water Utility Management (450208). Vocational major 450208 Smart Water Utility Management (智能水务管理), 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: Water Resources Engineering Quality Inspector Qualification; Smart Water Plant Operation and Control; Water Environment Monitoring and Treatment; Surface Water Quality Monitoring (rivers, lakes, reservoirs and bays).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Water Conservancy and Hydropower Construction Engineering (450205). Vocational major 450205 Water Conservancy and Hydropower Construction Engineering (水利水电建筑工程), 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: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Supervising Engineer; Cost Engineer; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: River Training, Port and Waterway Engineering (250204). Vocational major 250204 River Training, Port and Waterway Engineering (治河与港航工程), 4 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: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Registered Civil Engineer; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Smart Water Conservancy Engineering (250201). Vocational major 250201 Smart Water Conservancy Engineering (智慧水利工程), 4 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: Water Resources Engineering Quality Inspector Qualification; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM).

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¥150,533 a year (2025), middle half CN¥102,000 to CN¥269,889.
This is the figure for the minor group Water Resources 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 Water Efficiency Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Electromechanical Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Technology (450206); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Intelligent Management of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects (450204).

How much does a Water Efficiency 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¥150,533 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Water Efficiency 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