Alibaba and ByteDance are launching new hiring campaigns targeting university graduates in China, as demand for AI expertise rises.

Alibaba’s ecommerce arm Taobao and Tmall Group began a global recruitment drive on August 6, 2025, offering positions for students graduating between November 2025 and October 2026, with about half of the roles focused on AI.

Alibaba, which has also rolled out an AI Clouder Programme with its cloud division and Tongyi Lab, aims to train AI specialists.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and Douyin, is offering 5,000 jobs to new graduates as part of its 2026 campus recruitment campaign.

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🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Chinese tech giants swim against global hiring trends

While global tech companies have slashed entry-level hiring by 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels, Chinese giants like Alibaba and ByteDance are moving in the opposite direction1.

ByteDance increased its graduate recruitment by 23% and doubled its product job offerings, signaling confidence in fresh talent despite the global “experience paradox” where employers heavily favor proven candidates1.

This divergence reflects different market pressures. While Western tech firms face economic uncertainty and prefer contract hires for flexibility, Chinese companies appear to be betting on long-term AI-driven growth2.

The contrast is particularly notable given that AI automation is expected to impact 40% of workforces globally, yet half of Alibaba’s new roles are specifically AI-focused3.

This graduate hiring strategy aligns with Jack Ma’s philosophy of prioritizing potential over credentials, emphasizing that hiring should focus on individuals who “could be your boss in the next 5 years”4.

2️⃣ Talent scarcity drives aggressive campus recruitment in China

China’s tech sector faces severe talent acquisition challenges, with 75% of hiring managers reporting difficulty attracting candidates with required skill sets5.

The sector also struggles with a 36% average turnover rate, significantly higher than global tech averages, creating constant pressure to replenish talent pools5.

These structural challenges explain why companies like ByteDance are offering 5,000 positions—a scale that reflects the urgent need to build talent pipelines before competitors can secure the best graduates.

The focus on fresh graduates makes strategic sense given that experienced tech professionals are increasingly leaving major cities like Beijing and Shanghai for smaller cities due to high living costs, shrinking the available experienced talent pool5.

Campus recruitment allows these companies to train graduates specifically for their AI initiatives rather than competing for scarce experienced AI professionals in an already tight market.

Recent Alibaba developments

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