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Research on the Effect of Digital Economy on Agricultural Labor Force Employment and Its Relationship Using SEM and fsQCA Methods

Author

Listed:
  • Fulian Li

    (School of Economics and Management, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China)

  • Wuwei Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China)

Abstract

The development of the digital economy has alternative and complementary effects on employment in the agricultural labor force. While replacing a large part of the agricultural labor force, digital agricultural technology is also expected to create new jobs and multiply the economic development effect. Finally, it will have a large number of positive spillover effects on rural development. To better understand the effects and relationships of digital agriculture on agricultural labor employment in this process, we gathered microdata from 1098 agricultural laborers in 122 counties (cities and districts) of 16 cities in Shandong Province, China. Compared with previous research, the advantage of our study is that structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are jointly applied to assess the effects of digital agriculture on agricultural labor force employment and the combinatorial path of inter-effect relationships. The analysis results demonstrate that the effects of digital agriculture on agricultural labor force employment mainly include substitution, complementary, flywheel, agglomeration, structural, synergistic, and spillover effects. Through substitution and complementing effects in a chain reaction, which have effects through intermediate links, the first six effects can lead to spillover effects. We determine two modes with a total of eight configurations that can trigger the spillover effect of digital agriculture on agricultural labor force employment. Therefore, it is necessary to choose an effective combination of paths to improve the utilization rate of agricultural resources and promote the diffusion of improved agricultural technologies. If the positive effects of digital agriculture on agricultural labor force employment are reasonably exerted, the development of sustainable agriculture could be accelerated. This would promote the overall development of the agricultural labor force and lead to the revitalization of rural areas and the integration of urban and rural areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Fulian Li & Wuwei Zhang, 2023. "Research on the Effect of Digital Economy on Agricultural Labor Force Employment and Its Relationship Using SEM and fsQCA Methods," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:3:p:566-:d:1081284
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Zhiguang Hu, 2025. "How digital economy and green and low carbon policies affect non-agricultural employment?—Evidence from China," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Cheng Ye & Xinyi Huang & Xiya Lin & Miraj Ahmed Bhuiyan, 2025. "Digital economy and financial development nexus: a global perspective," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1-38, June.
    4. Ke Zhao & Hanfang Li & Youxi Luo, 2026. "Dynamic Evolution and Convergence Analysis of Labor Resource Allocation Efficiency Under Digital Factor Collaboration: The Case of China," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 17(2), pages 5449-5475, April.
    5. Bin Xiong & Qi Sui, 2025. "The effect of digital economy on rural workforce occupation transformation ability: Evidence from China," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Luo, Yuke & Liu, Shiyuan & Zhang, Yang & Zeng, Miao & Zhao, Dandi, 2025. "Digital pathways to resilience: Assessing the impact of digitalization on agricultural production resilience in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Haifeng Wang & Guangsi Li & Yunzhi Hu, 2023. "The Impact of the Digital Economy on Food System Resilience: Insights from a Study across 190 Chinese Towns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Shuaichen Guo & Hongpeng Guo, 2024. "Development of Ecological Low-Carbon Agriculture with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era: Features, Practical Issues, and Pathways," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-25, September.
    9. Jin, Xing & Lyu, Kangyin, 2024. "The impact of digital economy on emerging employment trends: Insights from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS)," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Zhenyu Qi & Yuezhou You, 2024. "The Impact of the Rural Digital Economy on Agricultural Green Development and Its Mechanism: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-23, April.
    11. Hongjun Ni & Zhiwei Shi & Stephen Karungaru & Shuaishuai Lv & Xiaoyuan Li & Xingxing Wang & Jiaqiao Zhang, 2023. "Classification of Typical Pests and Diseases of Rice Based on the ECA Attention Mechanism," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, May.

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