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Do Multinational Enterprises Substitute Parent Jobs for Foreign Ones? Evidence from European Firm Level Panel Data

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Author Info
Konings, Jozef
Murphy, Alan

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Abstract

This Paper analyses the demand for labour by home multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Europe. To this end we use a unique firm level panel data set of more than 1,200 European multinational enterprises and their subsidiaries that are located in either the European Union, Central and Eastern Europe or both. We investigate whether employment in the MNEs’ subsidiaries is substitute for home employment – in other words we investigate whether European MNEs can easily relocate employment between the parent companies and their subsidiaries. Our main findings can be summarized as follows: (i) We find evidence for substitution effects between parent and foreign employment. A decline of 10% in MNE affiliate’s wage costs is associated with a decline in parent employment of between 1.5% and 2% on average. (ii) This effect is driven mainly by firms that operate in the manufacturing sector. Moreover, the substitution effects mainly take place between EU parents and their affiliates located within the EU, rather than affiliates located in Central and Eastern Europe. (iii) We also report results for the non-manufacturing firms, where we find no substitution effects between parents and subsidiaries in the service sectors, while we do find positive substitution effects between parents and their affiliates in Central and Eastern Europe for the firms operating in the wholesale trade and construction sectors. Our results suggest that on average the competition from low wage countries in Central and Eastern Europe does not contribute to a relocation of domestic jobs to Central and Eastern Europe. When substitution effects do take place, however, they mainly occur between parent firms and their affiliates that are located in the European Union.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 2972.

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Date of creation: Sep 2001
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2972

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Related research
Keywords: labour demand; multinational enterprises; relocation;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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  1. Feenstra, R.C. & Hanson, G.H., 1995. "Foreign Investment, Outsourcing and Relative Wages," Department of Economics 95-14, California Davis - Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  2. Markusen, James R, 1995. "The Boundaries of Multinational Enterprises and the Theory of International Trade," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 169-89, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Arellano, Manuel & Bond, Stephen, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 58(2), pages 277-97, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Blomström, Magnus & Fors, Gunnar & Lipsey, Robert E., 1997. "Foreign Direct Investment and Employment: Home Country Experience in the United States and Sweden," Working Paper Series 490, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
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  5. Gene M. Grossman, 1986. "Imports as a Cause of Injury: The Case of the U.S. Steel Industry," NBER Working Papers 1494, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Hine, Robert C & Wright, Peter W, 1998. "Trade with Low Wage Economies, Employment and Productivity in UK Manufacturing," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(450), pages 1500-1510, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Bruno, Giovanni & Falzoni, Anna M, 2000. "Multinational Corporations, Wages and Employment: Do Adjustment Costs Matter?," CEPR Discussion Papers 2471, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Hatzius, Jan, 1998. " Domestic Jobs and Foreign Wages," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 100(4), pages 733-46, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Braconier, Henrik & Ekholm, Karolina, 1999. "Swedish Multinationals and Competition from High- and Low-Wage Locations," Working Paper Series 523, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Hans-Peter Lankes & A. J. Venables, 1996. "Foreign direct investment in economic transition: the changing pattern of investments," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 4(2), pages 331-347, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Barba Navaretti, Giorgio & Falzoni, Anna M & Turrini, Alessandro Antonio, 2000. "The Decision To Invest In A Low-Wage Country: Evidence From Italian Textiles And Clothing Multinationals," CEPR Discussion Papers 2395, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Hakkala, Katariina & Heyman, Fredrik & Sjöholm, Fredrik, 2007. "Cross-Border Acquisitions, Multinationals and Wage Elasticities," Working Paper Series 709, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Stefano Costa & Giovanni Ferri, 2007. "The determinants and employment effects of international outsourcing: the case of Italy," series 0016, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche - Università di Bari, revised Apr 2007. [Downloadable!]
  3. Sarianna M. Lundan, 2007. "The Home Country Effects of Internationalisation," Discussion Papers 1100, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. [Downloadable!]
  4. Becker, Sascha O. & Ekholm, Karolina & Jäckle, Robert & Mündler, Marc-Andreas, 2005. "Location choice and employment decisions : a comparison of German and Swedish multinationals," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2005,08, Deutsche Bundesbank, Research Centre. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Kokko, Ari, 2006. "The Home Country Effects Of Fdi In Developed Economies," EIJS Working Paper Series 225, The European Institute of Japanese Studies. [Downloadable!]
  6. Filip Abraham & Jozef Konings & Stijn Vanormelingen, 2006. "Price and wage setting in an integrating Europe : firm level evidence," Research series 200610-5, National Bank of Belgium. [Downloadable!]
  7. Filip Abraham, 2001. "Global and European Labor Costs," LICOS Discussion Papers 10201, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, K.U.Leuven. [Downloadable!]
  8. Stefano Federico & Gaetano Alfredo Minerva, 2007. "Outward FDI and local employment growth in Italy," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 613, Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Barba Navaretti, Giorgio & Castellani, Davide, 2004. "Investments Abroad and Performance at Home: Evidence from Italian Multinationals," CEPR Discussion Papers 4284, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Olli-Pekka Oksanen, 2006. "Are Foreign Investments Replacing Domestic Investments? - Evidence from Finnish Manufacturing," Discussion Papers 1001, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. [Downloadable!]
  11. L. Cuyvers & M. Dumont & G. Rayp & K. Stevens, 2002. "Home Employment Effects of EU Firms' Activities in Central and Eastern European Countries," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 02/158, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. [Downloadable!]
  12. Michael Hübler, 2007. "A Simple Model of Outsourcing with Cournot Competition," Kiel Working Papers 1320, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. [Downloadable!]
  13. Jaan Masso & Urmas Varblane & Priit Vahter, 2007. "The Impact Of Outward Fdi On Home-Country Employment In A Low-Cost Transition Economy," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Working Paper Series 52, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Davide Castellani & Ilaria Mariotti & Lucia Piscitello, 2006. "Outward investments and skill upgrading. Evidence from the Italian case," CESPRI Working Papers 185, CESPRI, Centre for Research on Innovation and Internationalisation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy, revised Nov 2006. [Downloadable!]
  15. Stefano Federico & Gaetano Alfredo Minerva, 2005. "Fear of Relocation? Assessing the Impact of Italy’s FDI on Local Employment," Working Papers 102, SEMEQ Department - Faculty of Economics - University of Eastern Piedmont. [Downloadable!]
  16. repec:mcr:wpdief:wpaper00038 is not listed on IDEAS
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