Chinese Women Shift from Traditional Jobs to Skilled Trades Amid AI Impact

As AI rapidly transforms the technology industry, rendering many programmers obsolete, Alice Huang chose a different path. She abandoned the keyboard to pick up power tools for home repairs and, in May, launched “Qiang Qiang Women Workers,” a domestic repair service employing only female workers. After 15 years in a southern China office rising to management, Huang now carries tools from one apartment to another dressed in dusty work clothes. “I had planned to work in technology until retirement, but when layoffs happened, it felt like being doused with cold water,” she said.

When Huang started her new job, her older relatives were surprised. They wanted her to avoid physical labor and always encouraged her to pursue education. However, Huang, well-educated and in her 40s, witnessed herself and many colleagues displaced by AI’s rapid advancement. According to an April estimate by Citibank, approximately 9.6% of jobs in China risk replacement by AI, threatening nearly 70 million workers. Globally, women remain underrepresented in tech compared to men. The Women Tech Network notes that due to “lower representation in senior roles” and “higher incidence in non-technical positions,” women face a 1.6 times higher likelihood of job loss.

Huang explained that tasks once done by many people can now be completed by AI in seconds, leading to departments being vacated overnight. “The pace of technological advancement is extremely rapid, and institutional restructuring is accelerating. Sometimes, quitting a job becomes unavoidable.” While seeking AI-resistant employment, Huang ultimately decided to adopt the skilled trades related to construction and maintenance practiced by her family for generations. “I believe I can succeed because I grew up watching those tasks and have a feel for every process.”