China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has released a draft regulation on skills assessment for public comment, according to a November 12, 2026, report by The Paper. The proposal aims to bring several types of assessment under a national legal framework and address concerns about unreliable certificates and inconsistent evaluation practices. It is a draft, not a regulation in force.
China has more than 220 million skilled workers, including over 72 million highly skilled workers, the report says. Since a 2019 decision to phase out certain government-administered vocational qualifications, skills assessment has shifted toward a system that also includes vocational skill-level recognition and assessments of specific occupational abilities. The expansion has been accompanied by concerns about counterfeit certificates, misleading claims and uneven standards among assessment bodies.
The draft would establish an occupational standards system covering national standards, industry and enterprise assessment specifications, and specifications for specific occupational-ability tests. Enterprises could adapt national standards to the requirements of particular jobs, but their adjustments would generally not fall below national requirements.
For vocational qualification assessments, the draft would bar assessment bodies from providing or participating in training related to the qualifications they assess. It would also require personnel involved in skills assessments to withdraw from scoring, invigilation or quality supervision when a conflict requiring recusal applies.
The proposal sets out rules for assessment bodies, including filing requirements, and prohibits conduct such as issuing certificates under an assessment category without the required filing, falsifying or trading certificates, and misleading workers through false publicity. It provides for penalties for violations. Workers could seek a review of assessment results, while organizations and individuals could report suspected misconduct.
The experts interviewed by The Paper described the proposal as a way to improve the credibility of skills certificates while retaining a broader range of assessment providers. Their assessments concern the proposed rules; the report does not say the regulation has been enacted.
