In the context of the 2new era, labor education, as an important component of the theoretical system of socialist education with Chinese characteristics, has been officially incorporated into the Party’s educational policy. This article aims to explore the role, implementation priorities, challenges in promotion, and improvement strategies of labor education in higher education. Through literature review and empirical research, this article analyzes the importance of labor education in promoting the comprehensive development of students and enhancing the quality of higher education, and proposes specific implementation suggestions. The study finds that labor education not only cultivates students’ practical abilities and innovative spirit but also helps them form a positive outlook on employment and entrepreneurship. However, labor education faces many challenges in its implementation, such as integrated layout, resource construction, integration of labor and education, and evaluation mechanisms. This article suggests that universities should strengthen the construction of labor education curriculum groups, develop a labor education checklist, and explore labor education demonstration positions to promote the effective implementation of labor education.