Field of Study, Skill Specificity and Early-Career Labor-Market Returns among Chinese University Graduates

Against the backdrop of the massification of higher education, the supply of college graduates in the labor market has been steadily increasing. Wage disparities among graduates in different fields during the early stages of their careers have gradually become more pronounced, and the relationship between academic discipline and income has emerged as a key focus of research on human capital. This study examines how fields of study are associated with early-career wages among Chinese university graduates. It also examines skill specificity, major–job matching, and labor demand. This paper employs a structured literature review and a relatively comprehensive analytical approach based on published empirical studies to compare research findings on wage differentials, job-specific skills, and major job-skill mismatches. The existing evidence suggests that graduates from occupationally specific majors can receive higher starting wages if their jobs are related to their studies. Major–job mismatch is often associated with lower wages, although the size and direction of this relationship vary across studies and groups. It further discusses how the supply of graduates and demand for particular skills may shape these wage differences. The study concludes that early-career wage returns reflect the interaction of field-specific human capital, job matching and market conditions, with implications for students' educational choices and university curricula.