Age Discrimination in China's Labor Market and Its Impact:Based on the Chinese Social Survey Data
Discrimination in the labor market is not conducive to the achievement of equal employment opportunities and high-quality full employment,which damage the effective allocation of human resources and adversely affect the welfare of worker.The phenomenon of"35-year-old employment crisis"has garnered widespread attention in Chinese society in recent years.However,systematic research on age discrimination within China's domestic labor market remains scarce.Drawing on human capital theory and discrimination theory,this paper first examines the current state of age discrimination and its causes from both supply and demand perspectives.It is found that,unlike developed countries,the peak period of age discrimination in China's labor market occurs earlier,mainly concentrated in the 35-40 years old,which is closely related to the labor market's preference for younger workers with updated skills.Utilizing data from the Chinese Social Survey(CSS),this paper empirically tests the labor market consequences of age discrimination.The estimation results using instrumental variable show that age discrimination significantly increases the risk of unemployment for workers and lowers their income levels.In terms of employment types,age discrimination notably reduces the likelihood of workers entering formal sectors.Moreover,age discrimination has a negative impact on workers'mental health and life satisfaction.This paper highlights the specificity,ubiquity,and adverse effects of age discrimination in China,pointing out the potential socio-economic costs and welfare losses associated with the preference for middle-aged and younger workers,which is linked to shifts in human capital structure and employers'hiring strategies.Based on these findings,the paper proposes policy recommendations to eliminate age discrimination,including standardizing recruitment practices by employers,strengthening anti-discrimination legislation construction,and improving vocational training and re-employment mechanisms.
age discriminationlabor market discriminationmidlife crisisemployment
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
