The 61st Xi Xian Forum, sponsored by the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law's Center for International Cooperation and Disciplinary Innovation of Income Distribution and Public Finance and the School of Public Finance and Taxation, was successfully held on October 28, 2024, in Wenqin Building's Conference Room 119. As the keynote speaker of this academic forum, Professor Xing Chunbing from the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at the Renmin University of China delivered a keynote speech entitled "The Labor Market Consequences of Vocational Higher Education Expansion". The event, moderated by Ye Jingjing, a researcher at the Center for International Cooperation and Disciplinary Innovation of Income Distribution and Public Finance, attracted over 20 attendees, including Associate Professor Yan Weibo and teacher Yang Xiaoliang from the School of Public Finance and Taxation, teacher Liu Ling from the School of Economics, Associate Professors Huang Hongwei and Li Ying from the School of Public Administration, Professor Rong Zhao from the Wenlan School of Business, as well as researchers Li Shanshan and Lin Jiada.
Since the implementation of China's higher vocational education enrollment expansion policy in 2019, the number of students enrolled in higher vocational education in China has surged to more than one million, leading to a significant decrease in the supply of young labor forces in the labor market. By comparing the differences in enrollment expansion of higher vocational education across provinces and using middle-aged workers as a reference group, Professor Xing Chunbing and his team found that young workers' monthly salary increased by about 3.7% in provinces with greater higher vocational education expansion compared with provinces featuring a lower degree of higher vocational education expansion.
Furthermore, Professor Xing Chunbing examined the impact of higher vocational education enrollment expansion on college graduates' employment and found that college graduates are facing fiercer competition for employment and a higher risk of unemployment. This is further exacerbated by the labor market segmentation between state-owned departments and non-state-owned ones. As the salaries of civil servants and state-owned enterprise positions increase, college graduates are more inclined to seek jobs in state-owned departments, making them devote more time to applying for positions in state-owned enterprises and departments, thus pushing up the unemployment rate of college graduates.
Professor Xing Chunbing not only delivered a wonderful speech to the teachers and students but also triggered their in-depth thinking on the relationship between the expansion of higher education and the labor market. During the discussion, the teachers and students actively participated, engaging in extensive exchanges on issues such as research design, influence mechanisms, slow employment, and flexible employment.
Guest Profile
Xing Chunbing is a professor at the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at the Renmin University of China. His main research areas include urban-rural migration, salary structure, human capital, and education policy in China. He has served as a consultant expert for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other institutions. Besides, he has undertaken or participated in multiple projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Social Science Fund of China. He has published over 60 papers in domestic and international journals such as Economic Research Journal, Journal of Management World, China Economic Quarterly, Educational Research, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Housing Economics, China Economic Review, Economics of Transition, and Journal of Banking and Finance.