主管:中国科学院
主办:中国优选法统筹法与经济数学研究会
   中国科学院科技战略咨询研究院

Chinese Journal of Management Science ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (8): 61-74.doi: 10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2024.0109

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Reduction in Social Insurance Contributions and the Upgrade of Corporate Labor Demand Structure: Evidence from Internet Recruitment of Listed Companies

Peng Jing1(), Chengyi Ren1, Gang Kou2   

  1. 1.School of Public Administration,Southwestern University of Finance and Economics,Chengdu 611130,China
    2.School of Business Administration,Southwestern University of Finance and Economics,Chengdu 611130,China
  • Received:2024-01-23 Revised:2024-07-19 Online:2025-08-25 Published:2025-09-10
  • Contact: Peng Jing E-mail:jingpeng@swufe.edu.cn

Abstract:

For a long time, high social insurance contributions have imposed significant liquidity constraints on enterprises, resulting in notable negative impacts on their operations. To alleviate this burden, China has repeatedly reduced social insurance contributions since 2015, which has played a positive role in stimulating corporate vitality and promoting enterprise transformation. Meanwhile, as key participants in market economic activities, the high-quality development of enterprises forms the microeconomic foundation for high-quality economic development, with the upgrading of human capital serving as the endogenous driving force. Therefore, whether reducing social insurance contributions can improve the labor demand structure of enterprises and subsequently promote the upgrading of human capital is a topic worthy of research. Based on the internet recruitment data of listed companies between 2016 and 2021, the impact of social insurance contribution reductions on corporate labor demand structure is investigated by adopting the difference-in-differences model. The results show that cuts in social insurance contribution significantly promote the upgrading of the corporate labor demand structure. The effect is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, enterprises with high financial constraints, and regions with lower employment targets and talent settling thresholds. Mechanism tests show that reductions in social insurance contribution expand corporate relative demand for high-skilled labor by capital-skill complementary effect and liquidity constraint easing effect. Further discussion reveals that social insurance contribution reductions not only raise the academic qualifications threshold when hiring but also increase the actual employment ratio of high-skilled labor, which confirms that there is no strategic hiring behavior in enterprises. The findings have important implications for optimizing the social insurance contribution system and promoting the high-quality development of enterprises.

Key words: social insurance contributions, labor demand structure, internet recruitment, difference-in-differences model

CLC Number: