Research on the Mechanism of Intelligent Transformation of Enterprises Driven by Targeted Talent Introduction Policies: Taking New-Energy-Automobile Enterprises as an Example

The strategic goal of high-quality national development depends on intelligent manufacturing, where introducing and cultivating high-end technical talent is crucial. Although prior research has linked talent policies to technological innovation, few studies have examined how targeted talent policies promote intelligent transformation in enterprises. Methods: Focusing on industry fit, this study uses new-energy-vehicle companies to represent advanced manufacturing. Drawing on targeted talent policies issued by major Chinese cities from 2016 to 2022, we employ a multi-period difference-in-differences model to assess how these policies attract high-skilled talent related to the new-energy automotive sector and drive intelligent investment and technological upgrading. Results: Our findings indicate that targeted talent policies significantly boost intelligent investment, which holds for robustness tests. Mechanism analyses reveal that these policies optimize firms’ human capital by increasing the share of highly educated and technical employees, thereby enhancing technological innovation, patent output, production quality, and efficiency. Conclusions: This research extends the capital–skill complementarity theory by highlighting the importance of specialized talent for intelligent transformation. The results offer data-driven insights for refining talent policies to support the intelligent development of the new-energy-automobile industry.