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Hire Software Engineers in China

Hire senior software engineers in China for $4,500–$5,500/mo. Save up to 75% vs US salaries. Pre-vetted engineers ready in 24–48 hours.

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We help companies save $103,000+ per hire

24 Hours

to get matched

4.9

avg client rating

200+

companies building with us

98%

talent retention rate

Automate Workflows Build AI Agents Ship LLM Features Build RAG Pipelines Cut LLM Costs Tame AI Sprawl Build MVPs Scale Engineering Automate Workflows Build AI Agents Ship LLM Features Build RAG Pipelines Cut LLM Costs Tame AI Sprawl Build MVPs Scale Engineering
End DevOps Burnout Modernize Stack Hit Q4 Roadmap Cut Burn Rate Replace Agencies Extend Runway Build Without Borders Ship 3x Faster End DevOps Burnout Modernize Stack Hit Q4 Roadmap Cut Burn Rate Replace Agencies Extend Runway Build Without Borders Ship 3x Faster

Pre-vetted Developers in China in China

3,000+ Developers in China Available to Hire

Jun Liu

Jun Liu

Senior Backend Engineer

Shenzhen, China

Jun is a backend engineer with strong expertise in Java and Go. He has designed high-availability payment and trading systems processing millions of daily transactions for fintech and e-commerce companies.

Java Go Spring Boot Microservices Kafka +1

Exp

10+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent
Xiao Li

Xiao Li

Senior DevOps Engineer

Hangzhou, China

Xiao is a DevOps engineer specializing in cloud-native infrastructure and platform engineering. She has built and maintained production environments for large-scale tech companies, with deep expertise in container orchestration and observability.

Kubernetes Terraform AWS CI/CD Prometheus +1

Exp

7+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent
Mei Chen

Mei Chen

Senior AI Engineer

Beijing, China

Mei is a senior AI engineer specializing in large language models and production ML pipelines. She has built AI-powered products for tech companies in China and the US, with expertise in model fine-tuning and inference optimization.

Python PyTorch LangChain OpenAI RAG +1

Exp

7+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent
Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang

Senior Full-Stack Developer

Shanghai, China

Wei is a full-stack developer with deep expertise in React and Node.js. He has built high-traffic consumer platforms and enterprise tools for e-commerce and fintech clients across APAC.

React Next.js Node.js TypeScript PostgreSQL +1

Exp

8+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent
Yun Zhao

Yun Zhao

Senior Data Engineer

Beijing, China

Yun is a data engineer with expertise in building real-time data pipelines and analytics platforms. She has designed data infrastructure for large-scale e-commerce and ad-tech companies processing billions of events daily.

Python Apache Spark Flink BigQuery Airflow +1

Exp

9+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent
Hao Wang

Hao Wang

Senior Mobile Developer

Shanghai, China

Hao is a cross-platform mobile developer who has shipped production apps for logistics, fintech, and social media clients. He brings strong performance optimization skills and a deep understanding of both iOS and Android ecosystems.

Flutter React Native Swift Kotlin Firebase +1

Exp

8+ Years

English

Advanced

Ready

Full-time

Hire Talent

Why Second Talent?

Built for AI-era teams. Engineers who build, not just candidates who apply.

01

AI-native engineers

Engineers who ship with Claude Code, Cursor and modern AI toolchains. They build LLM features and deploy AI tools into production.

02

Strict vetting

Every engineer goes through coding tests, peer interviews, and role checks. We test for AI tools and the stack you use.

03

Built for your timezone

4-8 hours of daily overlap keeps your team aligned. No 3am standups, no lag. Asia's top engineers on your schedule.

04

Onboard in days

We source, match, and deploy engineers from Vietnam, Philippines and beyond, so you start building immediately.

Backed by results, not promises

View all case studies
Animoca Brands
Web3 · Education

70%

productivity boost

10 Engineers 2 mo To scale

Animoca Brands

Jonah L., Head of Portfolio

Read story →
Carro (Beyond Cars)
Automotive

$1.5B

acquisition

70% Team growth 4 mo To scale

Carro (Beyond Cars)

Garry Y., Co-Founder

Read story →
Chow Sang Sang
Retail · 870 stores

70%

labor cost saved

30% Revenue up 14 d To hire

Chow Sang Sang

Digital Lead

Read story →

Hiring Developers in China shouldn't take months.

Watch how Second Talent works, from your first call to an onboarded engineer on your team.

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How Second Talent Works

Hiring Developer in China is Easy with Second Talent

Hire in 3 steps, not 3 months.

1

Tell Us What You Are Building

Share what to ship, automate, or scale. Plus stack, budget, and timezone overlap.

2

Meet Top Picks in 24 Hours

6–8 pre-vetted Developers in China fluent in Claude Code and modern AI stacks. Interview the ones you like.

3

Ship From Day One

We handle contracts, payroll, and equipment. Your Developer in China ships real output within the first week.

What our clients say

Thanks to Second Talent, Open Campus quickly built a skilled tech team of 10 within two months, boosting productivity by 70% and accelerating our Web3 platform's development. This success has strengthened our role in decentralized education and fueled our market expansion, highlighting our leadership in Web3 innovation.

Jonah L.

Jonah L.

Head of Portfolio (raised US$100m)

Animoca Brands

Second Talent helped Beyond Cars (acquired by Carro) swiftly build a top-tier tech team in just a month, accelerating our platform's development and boosting productivity. This success allowed us to expand into new markets, ultimately leading to our acquisition by a major automotive e-commerce company.

Garry Y.

Garry Y.

Co-Founder (acquired by Carro)

Carro

Partnering with Second Talent has been a game-changer for our tech expansion. Their ability to source top-tier talent from Vietnam helped us scale rapidly while maintaining quality. Their pre-vetted candidates integrated seamlessly, and their account management ensured smooth onboarding.

Tom F.

Tom F.

Co-founder (#1 US Real Estate Coach)

Tom Ferry

Second Talent played a key role in our tech expansion, quickly providing high-quality frontend talent that integrated seamlessly into our projects. Their pre-vetted candidates, smooth onboarding process, and excellent support helped us build a strong, cost-effective team that drives our success.

Marco A.

Marco A.

Co-founder & CTO

Finno

Second Talent built our team of pre-vetted engineers who made our hiring decisions straightforward. Once onboarded, our tech team saw a significant boost in productivity and development speed. Their excellent account management and responsive customer service also ensured smooth handling of all post-onboarding HR matters.

Jack N.

Jack N.

Director of IT (10,000+ employees)

Lane Crawford

Second Talent helped us rapidly scale by sourcing top-quality SDR talent from Indonesia. Their pre-screened candidates fit perfectly, and their smooth onboarding and support built a strong, cost-effective team that helped to test and experiment sales with another market.

Leo W.

Leo W.

Co-founder (raised US$5m)

imbee

Hire Developers in China in Asia

We bring you senior Developers in China, ready to join your team in any timezone.

Singapore Malaysia Vietnam Hong Kong Philippines Thailand Indonesia China

Hire Developers in China by Specialization in China

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Guide to Hiring Developers in China

Everything you need to know about employment laws, payroll, and compliance when hiring developers in China.

Working Hours

40 hours/week (8 hrs/day, 5 days). "996" culture exists but is non-compliant.

Overtime Pay

150% weekdays, 200% rest days, 300% statutory holidays. Max 36 hrs OT/month.

Probation Period

1 month (<1 yr contract), 2 months (1-3 yrs), 6 months (3+ yrs).

Leave Entitlements in China

Leave Type
Entitlement
Annual Leave
5 days (1-10 yrs), 10 days (10-20 yrs), 15 days (20+ yrs).
Sick Leave
3-24 months depending on tenure. Paid at 60-100% by region.
Maternity Leave
98 days nationally + provincial extensions (30-60 extra days common).
Paternity Leave
15-30 days depending on province.
Public Holidays
11 days (New Year, Spring Festival 3 days, Qingming, Labor Day, National Day 3 days).

Notice Period

30 days (written notice) or 1 month salary in lieu.

Severance Pay

1 month per year of service. Capped at 12 months (for high earners).

Payroll & Tax in China

Component
Details
Employer Contributions
~31% (pension 16%, medical 10%, unemployment 0.5%, housing 5-12%).
Employee Contributions
~23% (pension 8%, medical 2%, unemployment 0.5%, housing 5-12%).
Income Tax
Progressive 3%-45%. Monthly standard deduction: CNY 5,000.
Minimum Wage
Beijing: CNY 2,420/mo (~$335). Shanghai: CNY 2,690/mo (~$372). Varies by city.
13th Month / Bonus
Not mandatory. Year-end bonus standard (1-6 months in tech).
Senior Developer Salary
$4,500-$5,500/mo

Second Talent handles all of this for you

Payroll, taxes, social contributions, leave tracking, contracts, and compliance in China. You focus on building your product.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How fast can I hire a software engineer in China through Second Talent?
Most clients receive a shortlist of pre-vetted Chinese engineers within 24–48 hours of submitting their requirements. You can interview immediately and hire within a week.
How much does a senior engineer in China cost?
Senior software engineers in China range from $4,500–$5,500/month through Second Talent. Mid-level: $3,200–$4,200/mo. Staff/lead level: $6,000–$7,500/mo. Up to 75% lower than equivalent US salaries.
Do I need to set up a Chinese entity to hire?
No. You can hire Chinese engineers as independent contractors, or use Second Talent's Employer of Record (EOR) service to handle payroll, contracts, taxes, and local labor compliance on your behalf.
How does Second Talent vet engineers in China?
A four-stage process: resume and work-history review, technical screening with role-specific coding challenges, live English communication interview, and reference + employment verification. Less than 5% of applicants pass.
What time zone do Chinese engineers work in?
China Standard Time is UTC+8 — a 13-hour gap with US Eastern Time. Engineers typically use an overlap model: 1–2 daily meetings during the early-morning US window, with the rest of the day handled async via Slack, Notion and Linear.
What kinds of roles do Chinese engineers excel at?
Backend (Java, Go, Python, C++), AI/ML (TensorFlow, PyTorch), cloud and DevOps (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes), embedded/IoT (C++, Rust, RTOS), and high-scale distributed systems. China produces strong talent across all of these.

Asia's top Developers in China fully compliant, matched in 24 Hours.

$0 upfront costs, pay only when you make a hire

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