Effects of Urban Comfort on a Heterogeneous Labor Force

In China, the labor market is undergoing profound structural shifts in both supply and demand. As the economy transitions from high-speed to high-quality development, new competencies are required of the workforce. In this study, we used a microlevel perspective to examine the drivers of labor mobility. By integrating principal component analysis and the entropy weight method, we constructed a composite index for urban livability, theorized its role in shaping heterogeneous labor migration, and empirically tested these relationships using a conditional logit model. The analysis is based on 1% of the national population sample surveys conducted from 2000 to 2015, along with corresponding urban characteristics. The findings reveal that urban livability significantly influences destination choice, and there are notable variations between worker groups. Policy recommendations include enhancing urban livability to attract talent, tailoring recruitment strategies to local labor demands, and reforming the hukou (residency registration) system to reduce access barriers. This study offers theoretical and practical insights into how urban environments affect the mobility decisions of diverse labor populations.