Abstract: In the context of declining population growth and accelerated technological advancement, focusing on enhancing the human capital of rural youth to promote their high-quality and full employment holds significant implications for high quality population development, urban and rural regional coordination and development, and shared prosperity. Taking the Rural Compulsory Education Student Nutrition Improvement Program as an exogenous shock of human capital, this paper conducts a study based on a difference-in-difference model. The findings show that, firstly, the rural youth with higher levels of human capital by health and educational exhibit more sufficient and higher-quality employment compared to their peers. Secondly, the high-quality and full employment effects of human capital expansion are more pronounced in underdeveloped areas, economically disadvantaged households, and among female rural youth. Thirdly, human capital expansion can promote high-quality and full employment among rural youth by improving their employment structure and occupational levels, thus aiding their adaptation to the trends of digitization and industrial intelligence. Therefore, it is suggested to deepen household registration system reforms, optimize the allocation of educational resources, enhance the accessibility of medical services in rural areas, and bridge the urban-rural human capital gap through targeted fiscal policies, so as to promote the high quality and full employment among rural youth.

Key words: human capital, technological progress, rural youth, high-quality and full employment, nutrition improvement program