Impact of digital economy development on the sectoral employment structure in China: Analysis of direct and mediating effects

The digital economy is a crucial driver of economic transformation, and exploring its impact on the employment structure is important for optimizing regional labor resource allocation. However, previous studies mostly focus on the growth patterns and macro effects of the digital economy, while neglecting its impact on employment structures across different sectors and its mediating effects. This study implements an evaluation system for the digital economy based on seven dimensions (mobile phone user numbers, internet broadband access volume, telecommunications business volume, express delivery business volume, Baidu search index for AI, number of AI enterprises, and the Digital Inclusive Finance Index) to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of China's digital economy and its influence on the sectoral employment structure. The results indicate that the digital economy experienced continuous growth from 2011 to 2022, although the growth rate exhibits a downward fluctuating trend. The digital economy significantly promotes employment in the information and transportation, science-education-culture-health, and accommodation-catering services sectors, whereas it exerts a negative influence on the agriculture-forestry-animal husbandry-fishery and manufacturing sectors. Among the indicators analyzed, the number of mobile phone users per 100 people and Digital Inclusive Finance Index exhibit the most significant driving effects on employment restructuring, whereas internet broadband access volume per 100 people and the per capita express delivery business volume have relatively weak effects. Furthermore, the number of patents and proportion of tertiary industry serve as primary mediating variables influencing the employment structure through the digital economy. This study provides an important reference for optimizing employment structures and enhancing regional economic competitiveness.