ZHENGZHOU - Chinese automaker BYD's Zhengzhou branch in central China's Henan province plans to recruit 20,000 employees in the first quarter of this year, attracting a surge of applicants following the Spring Festival holiday.

The recruitment drive spans multiple fields, including technological R&D and manufacturing, and aims to expand the company's talent pool, according to Ren Yongbin, personnel manager at the Zhengzhou branch.

To accommodate job seekers, a fixed recruitment site features a luggage storage area, and candidates who pass their interviews and medical checks sign contracts, complete onboarding procedures and move into staff dormitories promptly.

Many applicants expressed their optimism about BYD's growth prospects and employee benefits, which include social insurance and access to a housing fund for frontline workers, as well as free dormitory accommodation and a subsidized canteen.

Dou Yinlong, a 35-year-old Zhengzhou native, secured a job after seeing an advertisement online. He previously worked as a vehicle maintenance technician in another province, and said that as the BYD plant is just a 10-minute drive from his home, he is now able to care for his three children.

By early February, about 60,000 people were employed at BYD's Zhengzhou branch, over 90 percent of whom are from Zhengzhou or its surrounding areas. The plant is BYD's largest contiguous vehicle production base, producing 545,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2024 -- a 169.8 percent year-on-year increase.

The expansion of BYD epitomizes Zhengzhou's rise as a core NEV hub. Official data shows that the city's NEV output grew 98 percent in 2024 -- among the fastest output growth nationwide -- as supply chains expanded and industry clusters took shape.

"Centered around the plant, we aim to develop a NEV hub integrating manufacturing, services and exports," said Zhang Hongliang, an official of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, where the plant is located.

Currently, Zhengzhou has also become a key base for another Chinese automaker, SAIC Motor, hosting its biggest passenger car production, data and export operations in China. In October last year, SAIC Motor's NEV battery plant, with a total investment of 2 billion yuan (about 278.92 million U.S. dollars), began production with an output capacity of 300,000 power battery sets.

The growth of China's NEV sector continues to accelerate, supported by policies, technological advances and industrial collaboration, said Song Xiangqing, deputy head of the Commerce Economy Association of China, noting that Zhengzhou has capitalized on these opportunities.

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's NEV production totaled 12.88 million units in 2024, with sales nearing 12.87 million -- respective year-on-year increases of 34.4 percent and 35.5 percent.

In 2022, the Henan provincial government issued guidelines to accelerate NEV development, centering the industry in Zhengzhou. And in its provincial government work report this year, it pledged support for automakers like BYD, SAIC Motor, Chery and Yutong, aiming to facilitate the production of two million vehicles, including 1.4 million NEVs.

"This is not just about industrial development -- it means more jobs," Fan said, noting that Henan has over 10 million migrant workers. "The auto industry allows more of them to find work closer to home."