The Coordinated Development Characteristics of Rural Industry and Employment: A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Developing industries and promoting employment are essential for rural revitalization. This study establishes a theoretical framework to support the coordinated development of rural industry and employment (RIE) with Chongqing, China as the study area. Methods include GIS spatial analysis, the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, a coupled coordination degree model, and an optimal-parameter-based GeoDetector. The analysis examines the spatio-temporal evolution and driving mechanisms of the coordinated development of RIE. The main findings are as follows. (1) During the study period, Chongqing's RIE improved significantly overall, although rural industry is relatively lagging. (2) The evolution characteristics of the coordinated development of RIE exhibit "spatio-temporal ripple" and "spindle-shaped" patterns, and the spatial agglomeration has been enhanced. The growth of RIE is accompanied by the spatial diffusion of rural industry and the spatial echo of rural employment. (3) The primary driving mechanism for the coordinated development of RIE is "human-centered, natural resource-based socio-economic development." Finally, this study discusses employment-centered strategies for rural industrial development, providing a theoretical foundation for policy-making in rural industrial development.