Abstract:
Amidst the global expansion of the digital economy, the paper and printing industry has actively pursued digital integration to enhance market competitiveness, meet evolving consumer demands, and elevate industrial value-added outcomes. The dual employment effects of digital economy - displacement versus creation - have emerged as a focal point in socio-economic research. This study conducts a rigorous analysis on panel data of 47 economies from 2006 to 2020, to systematically examine the employment impacts of digital integration within the paper and printing industry. Research has revealed that the integration of the paper and printing industry with the digital economy mainly manifests as a creation effect on the scale of employment. This effect is the strongest for high-skilled labor, followed by medium-skilled labor, while it has a certain negative impact on low-skilled labor. The digital product manufacturing industry and the digital technology application industry are the main channels for promoting employment. In countries with a lower unemployment rate, the creation effect of the integration of paper and printing industry with digital economy is more significant. During the integration process, enterprises promote the expansion of the employment scale by enhancing labor productivity and increasing human capital investment. Meanwhile, the business environment plays a positive moderating role, especially the improvement of market access and market operation conditions.