IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v89y2026icp882-899.html

Economic forces and the employment paradox in the digital industry: creation and substitution effects from the perspective of supply chains

Author

Listed:
  • Yin, Xiang
  • Yang, Yan-Lin
  • Chang, Chun-Ping
  • Fu, Qiang

Abstract

The research on the employment effect of the digital economy not only requires grasping the macro trends but also delving into the micro mechanisms. This study examines the impact of digital enterprise growth on labor employment in the supply chains of upstream and downstream enterprises, exploring the micro-logic of how the development of the digital industry affects employment levels. Our findings suggest that the growth of digital enterprises has a significant negative impact on the employment of their supply chain partners. Currently, the level of digital coordination within supply chains remains relatively low, which limits the job creation potential of digitalisation. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this suppressive effect is particularly pronounced for digital enterprises in the eastern region, those in the digital technology application sector and technology-intensive enterprises. Conversely, digital enterprise growth in the central region appears to promote supply chain employment. Based on these findings, the paper proposes targeted policy recommendations.

Suggested Citation

  • Yin, Xiang & Yang, Yan-Lin & Chang, Chun-Ping & Fu, Qiang, 2026. "Economic forces and the employment paradox in the digital industry: creation and substitution effects from the perspective of supply chains," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 882-899.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:89:y:2026:i:c:p:882-899
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2025.12.035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592625005181
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2025.12.035?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo, 2019. "Automation and New Tasks: How Technology Displaces and Reinstates Labor," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(2), pages 3-30, Spring.
    3. Wen, Jun & Duan, Hai-Peng & Chang, Chun-Ping & Zhao, Xin-Xin, 2025. "The impact of country risk on innovation: Global evidence," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 49(2).
    4. Han Long & Gen‐Fu Feng & Qiang Gong & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2023. "ESG performance and green innovation: An investigation based on quantile regression," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 5102-5118, November.
    5. Mingbo Zheng & Limin Wu & Gen-Fu Feng & Chun-Ping Chang, 2025. "The impact of green finance on sustainable development: an investigation into national ESG performance," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 2528672-252, December.
    6. Quan‐Jing Wang & Hai‐Jie Wang & Gen‐Fu Feng & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2023. "Impact of digital transformation on performance of environment, social, and governance: Empirical evidence from China," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 1373-1388, October.
    7. Bronwyn H. Hall & Adam B. Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg, 2001. "The NBER Patent Citation Data File: Lessons, Insights and Methodological Tools," NBER Working Papers 8498, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Philippe Aghion & Ufuk Akcigit & Antonin Bergeaud & Richard Blundell & David Hemous, 2019. "Innovation and Top Income Inequality," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(1), pages 1-45.
    9. Hao‐Chang Yang & Gen‐Fu Feng & Qiang Gong & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2023. "The impact of political competition on green innovation: A new insight into sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3692-3708, October.
    10. Charles I. Jones, 1995. "Time Series Tests of Endogenous Growth Models," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 495-525.
    11. David H. Autor & David Dorn, 2013. "The Growth of Low-Skill Service Jobs and the Polarization of the US Labor Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(5), pages 1553-1597, August.
    12. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    13. Ufuk Akcigit & Salomé Baslandze & Stefanie Stantcheva, 2016. "Taxation and the International Mobility of Inventors," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(10), pages 2930-2981, October.
    14. Jones, Charles I, 1995. "R&D-Based Models of Economic Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(4), pages 759-784, August.
    15. Baltagi, Badi H. & Chang, Young-Jae, 1994. "Incomplete panels : A comparative study of alternative estimators for the unbalanced one-way error component regression model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 67-89, June.
    16. Yin, Hua-Tang & Wen, Jun & Yang, Hongming & He, Yushuang & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2025. "The resilience dynamics of energy ETF accessibility and stock market sentiment in China during the post-pandemic era," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    17. Lisa J. Dettling, 2013. "Broadband in the labor market: The impact of residential high speed internet on married women's labor force participation," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2013-65, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    18. Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo, 2020. "Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(6), pages 2188-2244.
    19. Yan Ma & Gen‐Fu Feng & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2024. "From traditional innovation to green innovation: How an occurrence of natural disasters influences sustainable development?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2779-2796, June.
    20. Jun‐Zhuo Wang & Gen‐Fu Feng & Zhu‐Jia Yin & Chun‐Ping Chang, 2025. "Does women's political participation promote green innovation? Global evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(2), pages 1847-1862, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fu, Yu-Hao & Yang, Hao-Chang, 2025. "Does E-government boost environmental performance?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 422-436.
    2. Hu, Haiqing & Liang, Zhikang & Yin, Hua-Tang & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2025. "Turbocharging SME sustainability: AI’s role in entrepreneurial ecosystems," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1939-1953.
    3. Hulya Ulku, 2007. "R&D, innovation and output: evidence from OECD and nonOECD countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(3), pages 291-307.
    4. Nicholas Bloom & Paul Romer & Stephen J Terry & John Van Reenen, 2021. "Trapped Factors and China’s Impact on Global Growth [Competition and innovation: an inverted-U relationship]," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 131(633), pages 156-191.
    5. Wang, Quan-Jing & Zhu, Yi-Jing & Zhang, Yun & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2025. "Impact of digital economy on energy efficiency: Role of emerging technologies such as AI," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    6. Yin, Zhujia & Wang, Xingting & Xia, Jiejin & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2026. "Green supply chain management project and firms’ cost of equity capital: Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 1133-1148.
    7. T. Gries & R. Grundmann & I. Palnau & M. Redlin, 2017. "Innovations, growth and participation in advanced economies - a review of major concepts and findings," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 293-351, April.
    8. Aisa, Rosa & Cabeza, Josefina & Martin, Jorge, 2023. "Automation and aging: The impact on older workers in the workforce," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    9. Ufuk Akcigit & William Kerr, 2015. "Growth through Heterogeneous Innovation, Second Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 15-020, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 25 Mar 2015.
    10. Drivas, Kyriakos & Economidou, Claire & Karamanis, Dimitrios & Sanders, Mark, 2020. "Mobility of highly skilled individuals and local innovation activity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    11. Giacomo Damioli & Vincent Van Roy & Daniel Vertesy, 2021. "The impact of artificial intelligence on labor productivity," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(1), pages 1-25, March.
    12. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    13. Johannes W. Fedderke & Yang Liu, 2017. "Schumpeterian and semi-endogenous productivity growth explanations," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 25(1), pages 111-137, January.
    14. Krenz, Astrid & Prettner, Klaus & Strulik, Holger, 2021. "Robots, reshoring, and the lot of low-skilled workers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Simon Wiederhold, 2012. "The Role of Public Procurement in Innovation: Theory and Empirical Evidence," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 43, April.
    16. Xiaokai Yang, 2006. "The Division Of Labor, Investment And Capital," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Christis Tombazos & Xiaokai Yang (ed.), Inframarginal Contributions To Development Economics, chapter 16, pages 409-436, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    17. Ufuk Akcigit & William R. Kerr, 2018. "Growth through Heterogeneous Innovations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(4), pages 1374-1443.
    18. Papell, David H. & Prodan, Ruxandra, 2014. "Long run time series tests of constant steady-state growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 464-474.
    19. Juergen Antony, 2005. "Weak Scale Effects in Growth Models," Discussion Paper Series 276, Universitaet Augsburg, Institute for Economics.
    20. Kaixing Huang, 2016. "Population Growth, Human Capital Accumulation, and the Long-Run Dynamics of Economic Growth," Adelaide Economics Working Papers 2016-13, Adelaide University, School of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:89:y:2026:i:c:p:882-899. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.