Abstract: The image construction of skilled laborers plays a significant role in achieving high-quality population development. However, skilled labor's image faces a crisis of social recognition. Vocational education's integration of industry and education can shape a new model of contemporary skilled laborers image through occupational, economic, and social identity construction. Based on the image construction status of skilled labor across 31 provinces (municipalities), this study employs configurational thinking and qualitative comparative analysis to explore the empowerment mechanisms and diverse pathways of vocational education's industry-education integration for skilled labor image construction. Research findings: (1) A single factor does not constitute a necessary condition for achieving a positive skilled labor image. The vocational education industry-education integration mechanism for image construction is influenced by multiple factors. (2) There are multiple equivalent paths to achieve a positive image of skilled labors, which can be summarized as the deepening of professional image under the guidance of leading industries, the comprehensive shaping of ecological elements of industry education integration, and the growth and career assistance under the guidance of leading industries school enterprise cooperation. (3) The main reasons for the negative image of skilled labor are the lack of ecological integration between industry and education, weak policies for industry and education integration, and insufficient support for leading industries. They exhibit a causal asymmetric relationship with the configuration path to achieve a positive image of skilled labor. (4) Under specific conditions, factors such as student scale and school-enterprise collaboration demonstrate certain substitution effects. When optimizing skilled labor's image construction, regions must consider the interaction patterns of vocational education's industry-education integration elements. By formulating reasonable "combinations" among these elements, vocational education can provide support for promoting skilled laborers' career development and image value reconstruction.