Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Employment Dynamics: Empirical Evidence for China

This paper empirically investigates the impact of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) protection on employment dynamics in China’s prefecture-level cities from 2000 to 2019. By integrating data from China’s national ICH list with prefecture-level statistics, the study examines the employment effects of different ICH types. Empirical results show that ICH protection has an overall positive influence on employment growth. However, significant heterogeneity exists across industries: handicraft ICH notably drives employment in the secondary and tertiary sectors, while performance ICH has a more pronounced effect on the tertiary industry. Mechanism analysis highlights external factors—such as digital economy development and cultural market vitality—as positive moderators of ICH’s employment-pulling effect. This research provides empirical evidence for the employment-driving role of ICH and offers policy insights for local governments to leverage ICH preservation for regional employment and economic development. JEL Classification: I25, Z13, J21