Title: Does internet use increase Chinese export enterprises' wage?

Authors: Chunyan Zhao; Shiping Wang

Addresses: International Business and Management Research Centre, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China ' International Business and Management Research Centre, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China

Abstract: Based on matched data from the Chinese industrial enterprise database and customs database, we estimate the impact of internet use on the wages of export enterprises. We find that the use of the internet significantly improves the wages of export enterprises. This conclusion is robust after changing the internet metrics, differentiating the export density and export mode of enterprises. We also find that the use of the internet impacts the wage level of export enterprises through export performance mechanisms and technology spillover mechanisms. Our findings provide empirical evidence at the micro level for the further exploration of income distribution in the era of the digital economy and have important implications for the government investment in internet infrastructure to promote wage growth.

Keywords: internet; wage; mechanism; export enterprises.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2022.128466

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2022 Vol.27 No.3, pp.239 - 250

Received: 04 Jul 2022
Accepted: 30 Oct 2022
Published online: 23 Jan 2023 *

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