经济与管理研究2026，Vol.47Issue(2)：121-137,17.DOI:10.13502/j.cnki.issn1000-7636.2026.02.008
数字服务贸易壁垒与服务业就业
Digital Services Trade Barriers and Employment in the Service Sector
摘要
Abstract
The service sector has become the largest"reservoir"for employment in China.Based on micro-level enterprise data from China's service sector from 2014 to 2024,this paper empirically examines the impact of digital services trade barriers(DSTBs)on employment in the service sector.Then,it employs the OECD Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index to measure DSTBs and conducts baseline regression tests using cross-country panel data.This paper primarily analyzes the pathways through which DSTBs impede employment in China's service sector,including their underlying mechanisms,heterogeneous effects,and deeper implications for employment structure. The findings indicate that DSTBs inhibit employment in the service sector.This conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests.DSTBs affect employment in the service sector primarily through three mechanisms:cost,technological innovation,and market competition.This paper also conducts tests by categorizing industries and specific policy domains.Empirical evidence shows that services with higher levels of digital application are more significantly affected.Specifically,telecommunications,along with computer and information services,experience the most severe negative impact,followed by digital service sectors,while business services and other technical services are the least affected.In terms of specific policy domains,infrastructure and connectivity barriers,as well as intellectual property-related barriers,exert the most significant influence.Heterogeneity analysis reveals that differences across industries and policy domains lead to varied impacts on employment in the service sector.Further analysis of the employment structure within service enterprises shows that the impact of DSTBs varies among workers with different skill levels and job roles,with medium-to high-skilled workers and positions requiring higher digital literacy experiencing more pronounced effects.Overall,higher DSTBs are less conducive to fostering employment growth in the service sector. The marginal contributions are as follows.First,it constitutes a valuable contribution to research on DSTBs and employment in the service sector.Second,it extends the analysis of the employment effects of services trade from a digital-economy perspective.Third,it supplements existing research by constructing a new theoretical framework.Finally,through heterogeneity tests and analyses across industries and policy domains,it provides regulators with references for formulating more tailored policies. Based on the conclusions,this paper proposes targeted policy recommendations.Employment serves as both a barometer of economic performance and a stabilizer of economic growth.To further promote employment stability through economic growth,it is advisable to moderately reduce DSTBs,focus on mechanisms such as cost fluctuations,technological innovation,and market competition,and pay attention to the differentiated characteristics of specific policy domains and industries in which enterprises operate.关键词
数字服务贸易壁垒/服务业就业/成本/技术创新/市场竞争Key words
digital services trade barrier/employment in the service sector/cost/technological innovation/market competition分类
管理科学引用本文复制引用
刘海燕,杨艳琳..数字服务贸易壁垒与服务业就业[J].经济与管理研究,2026,47(2):121-137,17.基金项目
国家社会科学基金重点项目"普惠金融发展促进巩固拓展脱贫攻坚成果同乡村振兴有效衔接的机制与路径研究"(21AJL007) （21AJL007）
