What industry wants from requirements engineers in China? An exploratory and comparative study on RE job ads

[Background] Publications on the professional occupation of Requirements Engineering (RE) reported on market demands for both RE and non-RE qualifications and indicated the state-of-the-practice of RE roles in industry. However, prior research was not from the perspective of the RE area in the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK). Nor, they shed light on the industry needs of RE professionals in China. [Aims] This paper focused on RE-specific tasks and skills sought after in China, from the perspective of RE activities elaborated in SWEBOK. [Method] Using an empirical qualitative research method, we selected and analyzed 535 job ads from China's two largest job portals. Job titles and descriptions of these ads were analyzed to uncover RErelevant responsibilities in the categories of RE activities in SWEBOK as well as RE skills. [Results] We identified the qualifications, experience and skills demanded by Chinese employers. Specifically, we reported 23 RE tasks demanded in the 535 job ads, from the perspective of SWEBOK RE activities. [Conclusion] Our findings reveal that in China's job market, 'requirements engineer' is explicitly used as a title of job ads. Plus, around 78% of the selected job positions want the employees to perform tasks in requirements elicitation. Editing requirements specification is the most in-demand task in RE activities. In addition, employers placed more emphasis on both RE-specific and broad industry experience.