Can the opening of public data improve the quality of urban employment?-- evidence from China

In the era of digital economy, the opening of public data holds significant importance as a pivotal means to maximize the utilization of data elements and enhance the quality of urban employment. Leveraging urban-level data spanning from 2011 to 2021 in China, this study employs a Multi-period DID method to systematically investigate the mechanisms underlying the impact of public data openness on urban employment quality.The empirical findings reveal that the openness of public data markedly elevates the quality of urban employment. Notably, these results persist even after rigorous robustness and endogeneity tests, ensuring the reliability and validity of our conclusions.A deeper analysis further unveils that the opening of public data enhances urban employment quality through various mechanisms, including increased urban innovation investment, advancements in digital finance, and the upgrading of industrial structures. Additionally, heterogeneity tests demonstrate that the impact of public data openness policies is particularly pronounced in coastal regions and larger cities, highlighting the differential effects across geographical and urban scales.The insights gained from this study offer crucial policy implications for accelerating the opening of public data and enhancing the quality of urban employment, ultimately contributing to the high-quality economic development of our cities and nations.