Surge in demand for drone pilot certificates brought by booming low-altitude economy

Demand for drone pilot certificates is on the rise as workers and graduates seek opportunities in the burgeoning field of drone operation in China.

On job-hunting platform Zhilian Zhaopin, Global Times reporter observed that over 100 companies are offering drone-related positions in four major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. These companies are mainly from four key sectors: airlines, technology firms, aerial photography companies, and educational institutions. Notably, qualified candidates with 3-5 years or more of relevant work experience will be paid with average monthly salaries exceeding 10,000 yuan ($1,400). Salaries for drone-related positions range from 8,000 to 15,000 yuan per month.

"I recognize the significant growth potential within the low-altitude economy and have decided to pursue a career in this field. I've begun reaching out to various training institutions and am optimistic about securing a suitable position in the sector," a candidate surnamed Zhao said.

China's booming low-altitude economy has given rise to a new profession - drone pilots. With over 17,000 drone-operating enterprises and more than 2 million registered drones nationwide, the demand for skilled drone operators is surging, as reported by China Central Television on Tuesday.

Drone piloting has become a skill that is in heavy demand in China's burgeoning drone delivery sector due to the rapid development of the country's low-altitude economy, Bi Qi, chief scientist at the China Telecom Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the domestic civil drone market is projected to exceed 200 billion yuan by 2025, highlighting the immense potential of the low-altitude economy.

"As drones are increasingly becoming more common in daily life, new drone-related jobs are continuously emerging, such as drone assembly engineers, maintenance technicians and drone pilots," said Bi.

The market for drone pilot training and certification is expected to expand significantly, potentially becoming a new job market hotspot, Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee for the Information and Communication Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told the Global Times on Tuesday. He said that this trend also presents opportunities for companies and individuals to further contribute to the expansion of the low-altitude economy.

The scale of China's low-altitude economy as of the end of 2023 was estimated at approximately 500 billion yuan, with its market scale expected to rise to surpass 2 trillion yuan by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.