Transfar Group is investing heavily to mobilize its 16,000-strong workforce in upskilling, digitalization and technological innovation, as the Chinese chemicals leader seeks to stabilize employment and advance industrial transformation amid rising global economic uncertainties.

Faced with a more volatile global environment, Transfar said its long-term success now hinges on evolving beyond its comfort zones. The group has launched a series of initiatives to engage employees directly in reform.

For instance, Transfar has prioritized skills training in response to the shift toward smart manufacturing. It now allocates over 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) annually to worker development. In 2024, its employees averaged 75 hours of training each — double the figure from a year earlier.

A key objective is upgrading blue-collar workers into engineering-level professionals and turning function-based staff into cross-disciplinary experts. This aligns with China's broader "industrial workforce reform" agenda. The company has introduced fully subsidized higher education schemes, skill academies and a network of 25 master-level workshops.

More than 15,000 employees took part in skills competitions last year across 31 professional categories. Transfar also rotates university graduates and white-collar staff through frontline jobs to cultivate versatile talent. Senior executives now serve as internal lecturers, sharing hands-on experience and integrating talent development into performance reviews.

Meanwhile, Transfar has ramped up investments in digitalization and research and development, aiming to compete with global industry leaders. It boosted its annual technology spending by 50 percent, supported frontier collaborations with top institutions, including Zhejiang University, and empowered scientists and engineers with full-stack support.

Such efforts have driven milestones including breakthroughs in rare earth rubber materials and bio-based herbicides, both areas where Transfar has disrupted long-held foreign monopolies.

Xu Guanju, chairman of Transfar, said: "We will work hard to stabilize jobs and enhance skills, and remain committed to developing the enterprise through its employees.

"We will also strive to build a high-skilled, high-quality workforce for the new era, and advance enterprise reform and innovation — all to steadily move toward the direction of new quality productive forces."

On the digital front, the company is integrating AI into 58 work scenarios across 12 domains — from smart manufacturing to supply chain and customer service. AI assistants are now common in office settings and industrial floors alike, empowering workers to navigate the digital era with new tools.

In overseas markets, employees are taking on the role of frontline pioneers. From long-serving managers in Pakistan to textile chemical specialists operating across Bangladesh and Turkiye, Transfar staff are becoming key agents of globalization.