Measuring the labor market outcomes of universities: evidence from China’s listed company executives

Universities are now expected to actively contribute to socio-economic development, extending beyond their customary focus on teaching and research. Traditionally, the impact of universities on the labor market, measured through graduate employment, has been assessed using subjective survey data. This study proposes a quantitative framework that combines occupational mobility data with geographic factors to provide an objective evaluation of university labor market outcomes. Using data from 46,765 executives across 4,627 listed companies in mainland China, we developed a university–company mobility bipartite network. This network is weighted by both the number of executives and the geographic distances they cover. Through structural analysis of the network, we reveal the stratified and highly unequal influence of Chinese universities on the labor market. We also apply a PageRank centrality algorithm to rank universities and further compare them with established university rankings. The results indicated that our rankings highlighted the universities’ geographical influence and outcomes in the labor market. Our framework offers a reliable approach to assessing the societal impact of universities from a labor market perspective, improving and supplementing current university ranking systems.