The number of professional and technical personnel has grown quickly to 55 million, accounting for 45.6 percent of the talent group in China and becoming the pillar for scientific innovation and optimization of the country's economic structure, a senior official from the top human resources authority said on Monday.

The proportion of professional and technical personnel with college degrees also has increased in recent years to now account for 68.6 percent of the total, said Tang Tao, vice-minister of Human Resources and Social Security at an annual meeting for this growing group in Beijing.

Over the past five years, the number of new professionals and technicians has grown by 8.6 million a year on average, more than 1 million of whom were those who returned from foreign countries.

"We should insist on planning to attract and nurture high-level experts who are professionals and technicians with the ability to innovate," Tang said.

In terms of innovation, the ministry released statistics showing that out of every 10,000 workers, around 42 have the ability to research and innovate.

"Innovative professionals and technicians have fueled growth in education, science, culture, health and other industries," Tang said, noting that the contributions of professionals accounted for 29.8 percent of economic growth.