The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta

Abstract The group of college graduates is the top priority for stabilizing employment in China. This research explores the impact of air pollution on the employment flow of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta by collecting and matching PM2.5 satellite data in grid form and the data from em...

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Main Authors: Bing Zeng, Wenhui Gao, Binyu Wei, Xiaojie Shu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95202-8
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author Bing Zeng
Wenhui Gao
Binyu Wei
Xiaojie Shu
author_facet Bing Zeng
Wenhui Gao
Binyu Wei
Xiaojie Shu
author_sort Bing Zeng
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The group of college graduates is the top priority for stabilizing employment in China. This research explores the impact of air pollution on the employment flow of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta by collecting and matching PM2.5 satellite data in grid form and the data from employment quality reports. The air flow coefficient is used as an instrumental variable of air pollution. Research has shown that there is a negative correlation between air pollution levels in a student’s city of study and the likelihood of college graduates staying in the region after graduation. Namely, higher levels of air pollution are associated with lower intraregional stickiness rates. Also, graduate students are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than undergraduates. And the impact of air pollution on the employment mobility of graduates is greater for those who attended public colleges and universities compared to those who attended private institutions. The conclusions of this research demonstrate the importance of air pollution governance in relation to graduate employment mobility and provide both theoretical support and empirical evidence for local authorities to manage and improve environmental quality and graduate employment opportunities.
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spelling doaj-art-9c31465bbcc140cbaea9fd4bd731b99c2025-08-20T03:41:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-95202-8The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River DeltaBing Zeng0Wenhui Gao1Binyu Wei2Xiaojie Shu3 School of Economics, Anhui University of Finance and Economics The Institute for Sustainable Development, Macau University of Science and Technology The Institute for Sustainable Development, Macau University of Science and Technology School of Economics, Jiangxi University of Finance and EconomicsAbstract The group of college graduates is the top priority for stabilizing employment in China. This research explores the impact of air pollution on the employment flow of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta by collecting and matching PM2.5 satellite data in grid form and the data from employment quality reports. The air flow coefficient is used as an instrumental variable of air pollution. Research has shown that there is a negative correlation between air pollution levels in a student’s city of study and the likelihood of college graduates staying in the region after graduation. Namely, higher levels of air pollution are associated with lower intraregional stickiness rates. Also, graduate students are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than undergraduates. And the impact of air pollution on the employment mobility of graduates is greater for those who attended public colleges and universities compared to those who attended private institutions. The conclusions of this research demonstrate the importance of air pollution governance in relation to graduate employment mobility and provide both theoretical support and empirical evidence for local authorities to manage and improve environmental quality and graduate employment opportunities.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95202-8Air pollutionCollege graduatesEmployment stickiness rateInstrumental variable methodYangtze River Delta
spellingShingle Bing Zeng
Wenhui Gao
Binyu Wei
Xiaojie Shu
The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
Scientific Reports
Air pollution
College graduates
Employment stickiness rate
Instrumental variable method
Yangtze River Delta
title The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
title_full The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
title_fullStr The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
title_full_unstemmed The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
title_short The impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the Yangtze River Delta
title_sort impact of air pollution on employment mobility of college graduates in the yangtze river delta
topic Air pollution
College graduates
Employment stickiness rate
Instrumental variable method
Yangtze River Delta
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95202-8
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