Can Digital Rural Construction Enhance Youth Employment Quality?—An Empirical Analysis Based on County-Level Panel Data in China

在全球数字化转型加速与乡村振兴战略深度融合的背景下，本研究基于2018年和2020年的全国县级面板数据，运用固定效应模型揭示数字乡村建设对青年就业质量的影响机制。研究发现：(1) 数字乡村建设通过劳动收入提升、工作稳定性增强与社会保障改善三维驱动效应，显著提升青年就业质量；(2) 分维度检验显示，数字基础设施建设的增收与保障效应最为突出，生活数字化拓宽了增收渠道，治理数字化虽提升稳定性但加剧部分青年工作强度，经济数字化则尚未形成显著影响；(3) 异质性分析显示，该效应在男性、18~30岁群体及西部地区更显著。据此提出，政策设计需强化数字基建与多维度协同发展，实施差异化策略，从而释放数字乡村建设的人才红利，为乡村振兴提供可持续动力。Against the backdrop of accelerating global digital transformation and the deep integration of rural revitalization strategies, this study employs county-level panel data from 2018 and 2020 in China and applies a fixed-effects model to investigate the impact mechanisms of digital rural construction on youth employment quality. The findings reveal that: (1) Digital rural construction significantly enhances youth employment quality through three-dimensional driving effects—increased labor income, improved job stability, and enhanced social security coverage; (2) Dimension-specific analyses show that digital infrastructure construction exerts the most prominent income-boosting and security-enhancing effects, while lifestyle digitization broadens income-generating channels. Governance digitization improves job stability but intensifies work intensity for some youth, and economic digitization has yet to yield significant impacts; (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates stronger effects among males, individuals aged 18~30, and those in western regions. These results suggest that policymakers should strengthen digital infrastructure, foster multi-dimensional synergies, and implement differentiated strategies to unlock the talent dividend of digital rural construction, thereby providing sustainable impetus for rural revitalization.