Tapping into new professions: Young Chinese surveyors help boost unmanned driving sector

Gao Tianlai, a mapping surveyor at an unmanned vehicles company in east China's Hefei City, is used to collecting map information on different roads to ensure the smooth travel of driverless vehicles.

"The maps used by the driverless vehicles are more precise than the navigation maps ordinary people often use when driving vehicles," said Gao, adding that his job of collecting map information is a part of making a high-precision map for the driverless vehicles.

He explained that "the navigation maps we usually use for driving are accurate to the lane level or the meter level and can meet drivers' needs." However, a "high-precision map needs to be accurate to the centimeter level and contain a lot of elements, such as flower beds, lane marks, railings and signs."

"The deviation must be within five centimeters," said Gao, who was born in 1990s. "If there are errors in the collection or production of high-precision maps, or when the errors are very large, unmanned vehicles may cross the solid lines, scratch nearby vehicles, or even threaten the safety of pedestrians on zebra crossings."

"So, the job of a map surveyor is not just a part of the making the high-precision map, but the most basic and most key part," Gao said.

When Gao drives the survey vehicle, his partner Liu Hailong, who was also born in the 1990s, detects the computer data. To collect high-definition road-related images and data, Gao has to make sure that there are no parallel vehicles on the left and right sides of the survey vehicle and that the vehicles in front of it are kept about 10 meters away. Gao must also manage his speed by traveling 30 kilometers per hour on normal roads and 20 kilometers per hour on road intersections.

The survey vehicle cannot enter non-motor vehicle lanes, which are often narrow and used by pedestrians. So, Gao and Liu have to take turns carrying the radar, which often weighs more than 15 kilograms, and ride an electric bike to collect information the high-precision map needs.

Acknowledging that it's labor-intensive work to carry the radar and make it as steady as possible when driving an electric bike, Gao and Liu said the job brings them great joy and satisfaction, though they are often sweaty after a trip.

"I have never dreamed that I could become an engineer because my educational background is low," said Liu, adding that his family and grandparents are proud of him.

Echoing Liu, Gao said he and Liu, who became surveyors in 2020, have become senior engineers, and their salaries have also increased.

Gao and Liu are among an increasing number of young Chinese seeking opportunities in high-tech and emerging industries, such as artificial intelligence, big data and smart manufacturing, due to the country's progress in technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

Gao and Liu benefit from the fast development of driverless vehicles, which is catalyzing a boom in related job opportunities, including surveyors and data annotators.

Data from Zhaopin.com, a human resources platform, showed that the number of jobs in the driverless industry in 2023 is twice that of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Future of Jobs Report 2023 released by the World Economic Forum last April has estimated that in the next five years, global enterprises are expected to create about 69 million new jobs, with a significant increase in the demand for jobs related to artificial intelligence and digitization.

Gao and Liu's team, which is responsible for their company's research and development of unmanned driving, has more than 40 staff members. In the face of the rising demand, their team is eager for more young people to join.

Xia Tian, a technical director at White Rhino Zhida Beijing Technology Co. Ltd, said, "As an emerging industry, automatic driving needs many positions and more young people with the comprehensive quality of artificial intelligence software and hardware so that this emerging industry can flourish."

The booming development of new job opportunities in relation to artificial intelligence and the digital economy also has much to do with the country's efforts to support the development of new professions.

In the country's latest revised version of its list of recognized occupations released in 2022, 97 professions related to the digital sector, such as internet marketing specialist and digital twin application technician, were added for the first time.

In May, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security made public a list of 19 new professions, including generative AI system application specialist and intelligent manufacturing system operations and maintenance administrator.

The recognition of these new occupations can enhance the sense of belonging felt by people in these positions in the workplace, and these professionals can now also enjoy related national policy benefits, according to the ministry.