中国跨地区劳动力流动壁垒:测度方法、演进趋势与决定因素

Labor Mobility Barriers Across Regions in China:Measurement Methods,Evolution Trends and Determinants

要素自由流动是畅通国内大循环的重要组成部分,但劳动力在不同地区间的流动壁垒仍然是国内大循环的堵点,阻碍了统一大市场与新发展格局的形成。本文在人口迁移选择理论的基础上,基于跨地区劳动力流动数量提出了一种反推相对跨地区劳动力流动壁垒的测算方法,运用中国1990—2015年历次人口普查以及抽样调查数据,对跨地区劳动力流动壁垒进行了测算与分析。研究发现:中国跨地区劳动力流动壁垒始终保持快速下降趋势,但在不同地区的下降幅度并不均衡;东部地区劳动力流动壁垒的下降幅度远高于其他地区,而东北地区劳动力流动壁垒最为严重。进一步地,本文基于推拉理论将劳动力流动壁垒分解为自然壁垒与制度壁垒,结果发现虽然自然壁垒与制度壁垒均大幅降低,但在基础设施建设的驱动下,自然壁垒的下降幅度远高于制度壁垒。在基础设施建设对削弱劳动力流动壁垒边际效应逐步递减的情形下,破除制度壁垒已经成为中国畅通跨地区劳动力流动的关键因素。本文为构建新发展格局提供了支撑,为破除跨地区劳动力流动壁垒、畅通国内大循环提供了决策依据。

The unfettered mobility of labor is fundamental to optimizing resource allocation efficiency and fostering sustainable economic development.However,barriers to labor mobility create market segmentation,significantly impeding the formation of a unified domestic market and restraining the high-quality growth of China's economy.Breaking down the barriers to labor mobility across regions has become an important goal in promoting China's economic development.In this context,this study systematically explores the measurement methods,evolutionary trends,and determinants of inter-regional labor mobility barriers in China from a macro perspective.It holds significant theoretical and practical implications for dismantling labor market segmentation,constructing a national unified market,and facilitating the domestic circulation.This paper employs a migration-selection model and establishes a theoretical relationship between the scale of labor mobility and the barriers within the theoretical framework.Leveraging this theoretical linkage,we introduce a novel method for measuring inter-regional labor mobility barriers.Using data from China's national censuses and sample surveys from 1990 to 2015,this study offers the first macro-level quantification of China's inter-regional labor mobility barriers and systematically analyzes their evolving trends,regional disparities,and individual heterogeneities.This analysis facilitates an accurate comprehension of the fundamental characteristics of inter-regional labor mobility barriers in China.The results reveal a persistent rapid decline in China's inter-regional labor mobility barriers,albeit with significant regional disparities.The eastern region experiences a more substantial reduction in mobility barriers compared to other areas,whereas the northeastern region exhibits relatively high barriers.Regarding heterogeneity,notable group differences in labor mobility barriers are observed across age,gender,and educational attainment,with older individuals,females,and those with lower educational levels facing higher barriers.Moreover,the paper conducts sensitivity analysis on the applicability of the theoretical framework and the robustness of the measurement method.The findings confirm that the main research conclusions remain valid under various theoretical scenarios and robustness checks of the measurement approach.Building upon the push-pull theory,this paper further categorizes the barriers to labor mobility into natural barriers and institutional barriers,delving into their evolutionary trends and distribution characteristics within the context of labor mobility.The findings indicate that while both natural and institutional barriers exhibit a downward trend,the decline in natural barriers,attributed to the progressive improvement in infrastructure,significantly outpaces that of institutional barriers,thus serving as the primary driver for the reduction in inter-regional labor mobility barriers in China.However,institutional barriers remain the biggest obstacle to inter-regional labor mobility in China.Furthermore,this study dissects institutional barriers into outflow area effects,inflow area effects,and discrimination effects,to further investigate the determinants of institutional barriers to labor mobility.The results reveal that the outflow area effects and discrimination effects are roughly equivalent,yet the institutional barriers arising from inflow area effects constitute more than half of the total institutional barriers,indicating that the institutional barriers imposed by the inflow areas are a major reason for the persistent inter-regional labor mobility barriers in China.Overall,under the impetus of large-scale infrastructure construction and the Hukou system reform,barriers to labor mobility have significantly decreased in recent years.However,institutional barriers centered around the Hukou system remain a major component of labor mobility barriers.From a policy perspective,breaking down mobility barriers,continually easing household registration restrictions,and enhancing the provision of public goods,educational resources,healthcare,and social services to migrant workers are critical directions to further reduce labor mobility barriers and are pivotal in mitigating labor market segmentation and constructing a new pattern of development.This paper contributes to the existing literature in three aspects.Firstly,it introduces a novel method to quantify regional labor mobility barriers,laying an important methodological foundation for further research.Secondly,utilizing data from China's national censuses and sample surveys from 1990 to 2015,this study calculates inter-regional labor mobility barriers in China,providing fresh insights for the existing research on labor mobility and important implications for future studies.Thirdly,by decomposing labor mobility barriers into natural and institutional barriers based on the push-pull theory,this paper offers an in-depth exploration of the significance of these two factors in inter-regional labor mobility barriers,aiming to provide vital policy references for addressing inter-regional labor market segmentation and facilitating the domestic circulation.