In May, Huafon Chemical Co, an A-share listed company based in Wenzhou, raised the wages for some of its highly skilled workers to above one million yuan ($155,000) a year, causing a stir on social media.

Wang Sheng, a senior manager at Huafon, believes that the pay rise is inevitable following the company's transition toward intelligent manufacturing. "What a superior skilled worker could create for the company is far beyond one million yuan in wealth. Such a worker deserves a high pay," Wang said.

Workers install equipment at a workshop of Huafon Chemical Co. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

In July, Ding Weisong, a welder in a State-owned water supply company in Shaoxing, was awarded the title of senior professional, which is equivalent to the status of a university professor. Ding is the first skilled worker in Zhejiang to earn the title.

As of the end of 2020, Zhejiang was home to 10.13 million skilled workers, of whom 31.7 percent are rated as highly skilled, double the figure from 10 years ago.

Ding Weisong (left) is a welder at Shaoxing Keqiao Water Group. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com.cn]