While white-collar workers in office buildings are losing sleep over KPIs and anxious about layoffs, there are several “hidden champion” industries hidden deep in the industrial chain that are relying on strong profitability and technical barriers to increase employees’ salaries for many years in a row, and the recruitment standards are not based solely on academic qualifications.
They don’t often appear in hot searches, but they are truly “making money silently”.
1. Industrial automation and instrumentation
Many people think that manufacturing is dying. In fact, low-end manufacturing is shrinking and high-end manufacturing is soaring.
Especially in the field of industrial automation, there is a huge shortage of people in PLC programming, DCS control system maintenance, and precision instrument calibration on the production line.
A debugging engineer who can handle Siemens or ABB control systems is a hot commodity in factories in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.
In order to retain employees, it is normal for companies to increase salaries by 10%-20% every year.
Although this type of work requires shift work and work in the workshop, the advantage is that the technical barriers are high. Once mastered, it is easy to earn a monthly salary of 20,000+, and the dormitory environment and meal subsidies provided by the company are far superior to those of ordinary private companies.
2. Third-party testing and certification (TIC)
Everything from the snacks you eat and the cosmetics you use to the car you drive and the house you live in must undergo strict testing and certification before being put on the market.
International testing giants such as SGS, BV, and Intertek, as well as domestically listed testing institutions, have seen a surge in business volume in recent years.
This industry is in urgent need of professionals in chemical analysis, microbial testing, and materials mechanics.
Unlike the high pressure of the Internet, the pace of testing agencies is relatively steady.
A senior laboratory supervisor or auditor, with the accumulation of customer resources, the annual salary can reach 400,000-600,000.
Moreover, this type of organization is very standardized, with five insurances and one fund paid, and strict compliance with national standards on holidays. It is a typical “decent and stable” technical position.
3. Environmental protection technology and solid waste treatment
With the support of the “lucid waters and green mountains” policy, environmental protection is no longer just sweeping the streets, but high-tech.
Waste incineration power generation, hazardous waste disposal, and sewage treatment standard upgrading and transformation are all undergoing technological iterations.
There is a huge market gap for professionals who understand environmental protection process debugging, can operate online monitoring equipment, and can write environmental impact assessment reports.
Especially in waste-to-energy power plants, although they are built in the suburbs, the company provides employees with garden-style accommodation, commuter buses to and from get off work, and canteen buffet standards.
Due to the particularity of the industry, technical backbones are extremely in demand. After working for three to five years, the annual salary starts at 300,000 yuan, and they are rarely affected by fluctuations in the economic cycle.
Written at the end
Real opportunities are often hidden in those humble factories and laboratories.
These “hidden champion” industries don’t require you to be eloquent to make sales, nor do they require you to wake up in the middle of the night to change plans. They only require you to calm down and hone your skills to the extreme.
While others are complaining about involution, you are already quietly enjoying the dividends of successive salary increases.
Don’t always focus on the hot industries in the spotlight. Sometimes, if you turn around and go to these low-key corners, you can see a broader world.
