Objective  To understand the changes in human resources of disease prevention and control (hereinafter referred to as CDC) institutions in Shenzhen city from 2019 to 2023, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing human resource allocation.

Methods Human resource data of Shenzhen city and district CDC institutions from 2019 to 2023 were collected through questionnaires. The current status and trends of authorized staff size, on-the-job staff number, position distribution, personnel identity, age, working years, education level, and professional titles were analyzed.

Results In 2023, the authorized staff sizes of city, city-level, and district-level CDC institutions were 975, 264 and 711, respectively, representing increases of 9.30%, 13.79%, and 7.73% compared to 2019. The on-the-job staff numbers were 1 560, 348 and 1 212, respectively, representing increases of 13.37%, 12.26%, and 13.69% compared to 2019. The proportion of professional and technical personnel was > 85% in all institutions. In 2023, the proportion of authorized staff in CDC institutions at all levels in the city ranged from 52.23% to 66.95%, a decrease of 5.65 to 7.57 percentage points compared to 2019, showing a "diversified" characteristic in employment methods. From 2019 to 2023, the age distribution of CDC institutions at all levels in the city presented a "spindle" shape, with a large middle and small ends. The age group with the highest proportion shifted from 35 - 44 years old to 25 - 34 years old. The proportion of staff with a bachelor′s degree or above increased by 2.95 to 5.33 percentage points, while the proportion with a sub-senior professional title or above decreased by 1.45 to 3.96 percentage points, and the overall working years slightly decreased. In 2023, the staff of city and district-level CDC institutions were mainly characterized by a bachelor′s degree (57.05%, 62.46%), junior and intermediate professional titles (50.96%, 55.94%), and 10 - 19 years of working experience (27.95%, 29.95%). The staff of city-level CDC was mainly characterized by a master′s degree or above (50.86%) and a sub-senior professional title or above (42.81%).

Conclusions From 2019 to 2023, the total number of staff in Shenzhen city CDC institutions increased significantly, with a reasonable proportion of professional and technical personnel and a clear trend toward younger age and higher education levels. However, there are still problems such as insufficient total staffing, a high proportion of non-authorized staff, an unbalanced professional title structure, and difficulties in attracting high-level talents, which require further strengthening.