According to Pierre Le Manh, the president and CEO of the Project Management Institute (PMI), China’s ongoing economic growth and its companies’ push to expand globally will lead to a surge in demand for project managers in various industries such as technology, green energy, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, construction, finance, telecom, and manufacturing. These industries have become the vanguard of China’s economic development toward higher quality, Le Manh said.
Le Manh added that China’s thriving project management ecosystem reflects the country’s position as the growth engine of the global economy. He noted that between 2020 and 2030, the world economy will require 25 million new project professionals, and nearly half of them will come from China. The PMI has provided project management training courses to over 20 million people, with almost half a million PMI certificate-holders in the Chinese mainland alone, more than a third of the global total.
Le Manh said that as technology becomes increasingly prevalent and learners get used to superior digital experiences, the PMI will deploy more resources in various sectors, particularly in those with high demand for management professionals, such as artificial intelligence and new energy vehicle manufacturing. The PMI will also explore the impact of emerging technologies on the project management profession to ensure that professionals are future-ready.
Le Manh added that China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and enhanced economic and trade ties between countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership pact will create more job opportunities related to project management in China in the coming years, for both state-owned and private companies.