The upgrading of industrial structure drives the change in employment. However

existing researches on this issue from the perspective of the Yellow River Basin are quite limited. By analyzing the panel data of 9 provinces and autonomous regions in the Yellow River Basin from 2005 to 2018

this paper finds that: (1) The increase of the output value of the primary industry in the Yellow River Basin crowns out some employment

and the second and third industries

especially the third industry

have a strong ability to absorb labor force

but the promotion of employment is not obvious in the past decade. (2) The deviation degree of the three industrial structures in the Yellow River Basin is decreasing year by year. The relationship between the industrial structure and employment structure tends to be balanced. (3) The empirical results based on the systematic GMM method show that the overall industrial structure upgrading in the upper Yellow River Basin has an employment promotion effect

but there is spatial heterogeneity. The upgrading of industrial structure in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin has a significantly positive impact on employment

while the impact in the middle and upper reaches is not significant. The paper suggests that measures such as "location-oriented" fiscal policies and attraction of suitable talents from various industries be taken to promote employment growth and employment quality in the Yellow River Basin.