The Construction of National-Level Comprehensive Big Data Pilot Zone and Employment Growth
Employment is a fundamental aspect of people's livelihoods,impacting individual well-being and the healthy development of the economy,with significant implications for national stability.Currently,the complex domestic and international environment,along with unforeseen shocks,presents severe challenges for businesses and worsens the employment outlook.As the digital and real economies become increasingly integrated,the growing digital sector has demonstrated its positive effects on economic growth and employment stability.While existing literature explores the employment impact of emerging technologies,consensus remains lacking.Amid economic downturns and rising employment pressures,it remains urgent to understand how big data technology can unlock data's value and stabilize employment.This study investigates the impact and mechanisms of national-level big data pilot zones on corporate employment,using panel data from Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2021,and employing a Difference-in-Differences(DID)approach.The results show that big data pilot zones significantly enhance corporate employment levels,a finding confirmed at the city level.Mechanism analysis reveals that these zones promote employment growth through new job creation,market expansion,and easing financing constraints.Further analysis indicates that they improve employee welfare and corporate reputation,attracting more labor.Employment structure analysis demonstrates that big data pilot zones improve employment across a variety of economic and social status occupations and boost employment for individuals with diverse educational backgrounds.Lastly,using machine learning techniques,the study compares optimal policy execution with actual outcomes,highlighting the significant potential to improve big data policies'effectiveness in promoting employment.This study emphasizes the importance of fully leveraging the employment-promoting effects of big data pilot zones.To achieve this,it is essential to expand the coverage of big data technology,improve infrastructure,integrate platform resources,and enhance corporate financing capabilities.Additionally,strengthening workforce skill training is critical to improving the alignment between skills and job requirements.The study contributes by addressing a gap in the literature,which has largely overlooked the micro-level perspective of enterprises.Using a DID approach,this research directly quantifies the impact of data as a production factor on employment,thereby enriching and expanding the understanding of the economic effects of big data pilot zones from a microeconomic perspective.Moreover,this study systematically examines the potential pathways through which big data pilot zones affect employment,using comprehensive microdata.This approach provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms of how data resources promote employment.Lastly,by applying machine learning methods to assess policy implementation,the study identifies opportunities for further optimizing these policies.
digital economynational-level big data comprehensive pilot zoneemployment growth
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
