Can public employment services improve employment opportunities of rural-to-urban migrant workers in China?

This paper explores the impact of public employment services (PES) on the employment opportunities of rural-to-urban migrant workers in China from 2015 to 2020. The regression results show that PES such as vocational introduction, vocational guidance, and vocational training significantly increase the employment rate of rural-to-urban migrant workers. The transmission mechanism is that PES affect the employment information and vocational skills. Moreover, PES are more effective in improving employment for disadvantaged groups such as older, female, and married migrant workers.