According to 2024 data released by LinkedIn, 84% of Chinese students choose to return to China upon completing their studies in the UK. This trend continues to hold steady in 2025, offering a valuable opportunity for Chinese employers to tap into a pool of internationally educated, high-potential talent. This event series is designed from the employer’s perspective, offering multidimensional insights into the Chinese job market’s evolving expectations regarding academic backgrounds, competencies, and employability traits. The sessions also served as a platform for university careers offices and corporate HR professionals, facilitating closer alignment between universities, students, and employers, and enabling UK institutions to better support their students’ transition back to the Chinese job market. For companies seeking graduates with international academic training, language proficiency, and strong professional capabilities, CBBC continues to serve as a trusted platform to access diversified talent pipelines.

A number of professional recruitment platforms and service providers with experience in international and foreign-invested business sectors were invited to share their expertise, including Zhaopin, Beijing FESCO International Education Consulting Co. Ltd., Robert Walters China, and GradLink. Drawing on data and practical case studies, speakers discussed regional and sector-specific hiring needs in China, graduate job market timelines, employer expectations, salary trends, and perceptions of overseas degrees.

Amber Xu, Head of the International Talent Department, Zhaopin

Amber Xu, Head of the International Talent Department at Zhaopin, opened with key data on Chinese employer demand across different city tiers and sectors. She highlighted high-growth areas such as tech innovation, new energy, healthcare, and fintech, and noted that UK degrees continue to be highly regarded by Chinese employers, especially when paired with practical skills and international outlook.
 

Zhiyuan Cao, General Manager of Beijing FESCO International Education Consulting Co Ltd.

Zhiyuan Cao, General Manager at Beijing FESCO International Education Consulting Co. Ltd., introduced FESCO’s integrated solutions supporting both employers and universities. He presented the Qinglan Career Service Centre and Fu You Zhi Shang programme, which leverage digital platforms, AI tools, and structured career coaching to support graduate development from skills assessment through to job matching. He also highlighted how FESCO provides efficient, targeted campus recruitment services that connect employers with top graduate talent.
 

Sihui Lei, Director, Robert Walters China (left), Linva Wang (right), Associate Director- Technology & Engineering, Robert Walters China

Sihui Lei, Director, and Linva Wang, Associate Director at Robert Walters China, examined current employer preferences for international graduates in China. They identified creativity, learning agility, and digital fluency as key differentiators, particularly for roles in content operations, international expansion, and AI-related functions. They advised graduates to develop strong product understanding and market sensitivity, and encouraged universities to adopt more streamlined digital tools – such as video CV libraries – to better showcase student capabilities to recruiters.
 

David Gee, Head of Global Employability, Founder, Gradlink

David Gee, Founder of GradLink and Head of Global Employability, shared insights on the unique strengths UK graduates bring to the job market in China and how they can address employers’ common concerns. He underscored the value of global perspective, cross-cultural competence, and digital skills, while advising students to avoid an “entitlement mindset”, maintain realistic salary expectations, and engage proactively with career services and professional networks to enhance employability.

A roundtable discussion featuring employers from the banking, automotive, and consulting sectors shed further light on recruitment expectations for returnee graduates, including assessment standards, corporate culture differences, and preferred working styles. Representatives from UK university alumni teams and Chinese student societies also contributed perspectives on the current barriers faced by students seeking career support, including limited access to information and confidence in communication, and proposed practical solutions to improve engagement.

Panel Discussion 1: Tips on Providing Support to Chinese Students Looking for Work in the UK

From left: Catherine Shipley (CBBC), James Li (Legal Advisor, Passportia Limited), Ed Holroyd Pearce (Co-founder, CRCC Asia), Bei Fang (Talent Aquisition Partner and Director, Human Touch Recruitment)

Panel Discussion 2: Meet the Employers
 

From left: Catherine Shipley (CBBC), Kara Lin (HR Department, BYD), Chengtai Du (Co-Head of HR, ICBC), Tim Skeet (Executive Management Committee member and Chief Institutional Relationship Officer, London branch, Bank of China), Jack Porteous (Commercial Director, TONG Global), Wen Liu (Head of HR, Bank of China)

Panel Discussion 3：How to Engage Chinese Students in Employability Initiatives/Careers Support

Baiyu Liu, President of King's College London Students' Union, Joey Zhou, King's College London, Head of CSSA, Sherry Cao, MSc Clinical Mental Health Services, UCL, Junyi Peng, Student Ambassador, University of Reading, and Yizhe Xia, MSc Economics, University of Southampton

The series continued in July 2025 with two webinars focused on Employment Trends for STEM Graduates in China. These sessions were of particular significance, as tailored and in-depth presentations specifically designed for UK universities on China’s STEM labour market remain relatively rare. The webinars provided timely and targeted insight for university career teams.

Nina Ni, Director & Office Manager of TTC Ningbo branch

In the first session, CBBC invited Nina Ni, Director & Office Manager of TTC Ningbo branch, to share her expertise. With over a decade of experience in executive search serving numerous Fortune 500 firms and leading Chinese tech companies, Nina offered a comprehensive overview of hiring trends across key industries such as internet, manufacturing, and AI. She outlined the distinct talent needs of top employers including Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi, and ByteDance. She emphasised the natural strengths of UK graduates in communication, problem-solving and practical skills, and mapped out the recruitment calendar in China, including critical timelines for autumn recruitment and the value of campus hiring channels – equipping alumni officers with clear guidance to support student engagement.

Clarey Wang, AI talent recruitment specialist, TTC

The second session was led by Clarey Wang, an AI talent recruitment specialist at TTC. Clarey delivered an in-depth analysis of China’s booming AI sector, noting its rapid shift towards embodied intelligence and applications spanning autonomous vehicles, robotics, smart agriculture, and urban systems. She highlighted growing demand for talent in AI algorithms, data science, NLP, computer vision, and robotics engineering. Using real recruitment cases, she detailed the core skills required – including technical knowledge, communication, industry awareness, and a mindset for continuous learning. Her insights offered a valuable framework for alumni teams to help STEM students clarify career goals and align with industry needs.

Learn more:

For those unable to attend the live sessions, recordings of the STEM career webinars are now available for registered participants and institutional ticket holders. Please contact catherine.shipley@cbbc.org for more details.

Through this series of career development activities, CBBC continues to strengthen its role in facilitating talent exchange between China and the UK. The programme not only provides practical tools for universities to support graduate employability but also opens new channels for Chinese employers to connect with high-quality international talent. CBBC remains committed to addressing evolving recruitment needs and deepening collaboration between universities, employers and graduates to build a more effective, targeted talent ecosystem.