Why are the careers you once "looked down upon" now seeing faster salary increases? | Research Report on Workplace Dividends
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
In Beijing, the monthly salary of an entry - level white - collar worker may be outpaced by that of a food delivery rider. Every year, nearly ten million college students flood into the white - collar job market, but large models are particularly good at taking over the mental work of those sitting in front of computers in batches. "A degree may not guarantee financial returns, but skills will definitely command a premium." Many blue - collar jobs emphasize hand - eye coordination and the ability to handle complex non - standard environments, thus forming a professional safety zone in the face of AI. In the future, "new - type blue - collar workers" will become an important part of the middle - income group. Physical operators with specialized skills will have higher job security and income returns than ordinary clerical workers. Apart from the impact of AI, the state is also vigorously promoting the integration of vocational education and general education. In addition, the supply gap of high - skilled talents in the manufacturing and service industries has also opened up salary space for job seekers. Continuing the topic "Blue - collar and White - collar Workers: Career Landscapes" from the "WISE Workplace Bonus Party", at the time when the old boundaries between blue - collar and white - collar jobs are fading, the editorial department of "Workplace Bonus" has compiled a list of 12 in - demand bonus jobs to explore their potential.
Ⅰ Five Important Concepts
Ⅱ Blue - collar Workplace Chapter
Ⅲ White - collar Workplace Chapter
Ⅳ Three Future Trends
Familiarizing with keywords is always the first step
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
Maternity nurses become the "favorites" in the industry
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
Many novice parents can't tell the difference between maternity nurses and childcare nurses. The former are mainly responsible for taking care of the mother and the baby during the mother's confinement period, including wound care for the mother, guidance on physical recovery, confinement meals, and the care and feeding of the newborn. The service period is usually within one month. The latter mainly focus on serving the baby, including paying attention to each growth stage, early education, and intellectual development.
The salary levels of maternity nurses are mainly determined by their work experience, skill levels, and the services they provide. They are mainly divided into three levels: primary, intermediate, and senior. In Beijing, the average salary of childcare nurses starts at 7,000 yuan, and senior childcare nurses can earn over 10,000 yuan. The overall salary level of childcare nurses is slightly lower than that of maternity nurses.
Since 2023, the average salary and growth rate of maternity nurse positions have always led the blue - collar industry. In 2024 alone, the income of maternity nurses increased by 4.24%, far exceeding the monthly average slight increase of 1.77% in the blue - collar industry. Public information from Jobui shows that the average monthly salary in the Chinese maternity nurse industry is 10,600 yuan. In 2025, the number of maternity nurse positions nationwide increased by 40% compared with 2024.
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
Along with the year - on - year growth of the number of maternity nurse positions is the surge in employers' demand for professional maternal and infant care. Families in first - tier cities prefer to hire certified maternity nurses. Mastering knowledge such as newborn care, postpartum rehabilitation, and nutritional meal planning is of great help for successful job applications and quick adaptation to the job.
Currently, there is a shortage of 20 million workers in the domestic service industry in China, and the maternity nurse position is the hardest - hit area of the "labor shortage". On the one hand, employers' requirements are gradually increasing, but good maternity nurses usually don't enter the market. They are mostly circulated internally among family, friends, and neighbors through recommendations and introductions. Even if a few nurses enter the market after finishing a job, they are often booked on the same day. On the other hand, the work of maternity nurses is labor - intensive and requires a lot of sacrifice of personal space. Some practitioners envy the high salary of this position before entering the industry, but they lack the spirit of hard work. The stability of practitioners still needs to be improved.
When entering this industry, one needs to carefully choose intermediary companies and certificate - issuing institutions. The qualifications and reputations of some intermediaries vary. The contract terms and rights protection are not perfect. When facing contract disputes, it is difficult to protect personal interests. There are many institutions issuing certificates related to maternity nurses in China, but only the certificates filed or authorized by the human resources and social security department are universally recognized and credible nationwide. Blindly signing up for certificate - obtaining courses may face the risk of property loss.
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
Compared with traditional fuel - powered vehicles with mechanical systems as the core, the difficulty in repairing new energy vehicles lies in the three - electric system and high - level intelligent integration, and there is also a risk of high - voltage electricity, which is more fatal than fuel leakage fires.
In addition to the traditional "look, listen, feel" fault diagnosis methods for cars, to repair different new energy vehicles, one also needs to use intelligent diagnostic equipment to identify problems, be familiar with the different maintenance processes of different brand manufacturers, master core technologies such as battery management systems and high - voltage electricity safety operations, and even have certain IT programming abilities. Some apprentices may not be able to fully master the job skills even after one year of learning.
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
Due to the high threshold for job skills, rapid technological iteration, and the lagging talent training system, the supply of talents in this profession is weak. On the demand side, the sales of new energy vehicles continue to grow. Zhang Yanhua, the president of the China Automobile Maintenance Industry Association, once said that among the more than one million talent shortages in the automobile repair industry, 80% are in the after - sales service of new energy vehicles, which is equivalent to 824,000 people. Public information from Jobui shows that the average monthly salary of new energy vehicle repair positions in China is 7,900 yuan. In some first - tier cities, the highest salary for these positions can reach 20,000 yuan. Even though many 4S stores and repair shops are recruiting with high salaries, the industry still faces the dilemma of "having positions but no one to fill them".
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
36Kr's "Workplace Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)
As the low - altitude economy is officially included in the national strategic emerging industry system, drone pilots (flyers), as a new technical occupation, are becoming a high - income group among blue - collar jobs. Industry research data shows that the salary of this position presents a significant ability - based hierarchical feature: the monthly salary of junior flyers is about 8,000 yuan, that of intermediate flyers with independent operation ability can reach 12,000 yuan, and that of senior flyers who can perform complex tasks is close to 20,000 yuan. The overall salary level exceeds that of traditional blue - collar positions. According to industry statistics, the national demand for drone pilot positions has exceeded one million, but the number of certified practitioners is only about one - third of the demand, showing an obvious structural shortage. With the gradual implementation of the low - altitude airspace opening policy and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, it is estimated that by 2025, the market scale of China's civil drone industry will reach 180 billion yuan. The commercial demand in fields such as agricultural plant protection,