Workplace training produces 2 types of human capital: general and firm-specific. Based on specific human capital theories pioneered by Gary Becker, this article empirically examines the impact of on-the-job training and off-the-job training on wage levels in urban China. It is found that off-the-job training in previous firms significantly raises…

Lifelong learning and skill flexibility are especially important for workers in China, where structural economic adjustment has generated 22 million layoffs from state-owned enterprises since 1997. Skills that were in huge demand in previous years, such as accounting, international trade, and language translation, are now facing serious oversupply…