Research on the Effect of the Healthy Cities Pilot Policy on the Labor Supply Time of Middle-Aged and Elderly Workers in China

Against the backdrop of Healthy China and an aging population, there is an urgent need to explore the effect of the Healthy Cities Pilot Policy (HCPP) on residents’ labor supply. This study integrates the HCPP, residents’ health, and labor supply time into a unified analytical framework. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) spanning the period 2011–2020 and leveraging the quasi-natural experiment provided by China’s 2016 HCPP, we empirically investigate its effects on labor supply time among middle-aged and elderly workers. Our findings indicate: (1) HCPP increases average weekly working hours by 2.834 h in pilot cities. (2) HCPP significantly enhances residents’ health status in pilot cities, extending their healthy time. (3) Middle-aged and elderly workers allocate more of their extended healthy time to labor rather than leisure, potentially influenced by traditional Chinese perceptions of “ceaseless toil”. (4) The impact of HCPP on labor supply time exhibits group heterogeneity, with stronger promotion effects observed among vulnerable middle-aged and elderly groups characterized by older age, rural household registration, lower educational attainment, and lower income levels. This research offers insights for policymakers aiming to optimize health policies and promote sustainable development within Chinese society.