Amid China’s goals to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, along with its ecological civilization agenda, the synergy between the digital economy (DE) and environmental quality (EQ) in Chinese cities has become increasingly vital. Using panel data from 285 cities between 2016 and 2021, this study constructs an integrated framework to examine the level of coordinated development between the DE and EQ, measured through the coupling coordination degree (CCD) that captures the strength and harmony of their interaction. It further analyses spatial–temporal heterogeneity and influencing factors. The results reveal: (1) both the DE and EQ have improved steadily, with the CCD rising to a moderate level and showing clear spatial clustering; and (2) economic development, educational investment and industrial upgrading boost the CCD, whereas average years of education and government intervention may hinder it. Additionally, economic development and industrial upgrading have positive spatial spillovers, and a threshold effect of government intervention is observed.

In the context of big data, the rise of digital inclusive finance is driving the digital transformation of various industries, which in turn, has a profound impact on labour employment. Based on the panel data of 258 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, this article evaluates the impact of digital financial inclusion on the employment structure of the labour force and investigates its spatial spillover effects by constructing a spatial Durbin model and a mediation model. The study finds that: (1) Digital financial inclusion increases the employment demand for high-skilled and low-skilled labour and decreases the employment demand for middle-skilled labour, that is, the employment structure of the labour force shows a polarisation trend. (2) There is a positive spatial spillover effect of the impact of the development of digital financial inclusion on the demand for high- and low-skilled labour. (3) Financial digitisation plays an intermediary role in the process of digital financial inclusion affecting the employment structure of the labour force. Taking advantage of the dividends brought about by the development of digital inclusive finance and formulating policies according to the actual situation of each region indicate an undeniable choice for achieving full employment.