Assessment of China’s Higher Education Enrollment Expansion Policy and Its Impact on the Labor Market

This study evaluates the labor market implications of China’s Higher Education Enrollment Expansion Policy (HEEEP), implemented in 1999 to accelerate human capital development and economic modernization. While the policy significantly increased tertiary education enrollment, raising the gross enrollment rate from 9.8% in 1998 to over 50% by 2019, it introduced structural challenges, including skill mismatches, underemployment, and regional disparities. Using interdisciplinary evidence from national surveys and statistical yearbooks, we analyze inefficiencies such as stagnant wages for tertiary-educated workers, sectoral imbalances, and widening supply-demand gaps. We propose targeted reforms, including curriculum modernization, vocational revitalization, and policies addressing regional disparities, to align educational expansion with labor market demands and ensure long-term economic resilience.