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The dragon down under: The regional labour market impact of growth in Chinese imports to Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Coelli

    (Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne)

  • James Maccarrone

    (Department of Economics, the University of Melbourne)

  • Jeff Borland

    (Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

Imports of manufactured goods from China to Australia grew more than eleven-fold in real US dollar terms between 1991 and 2006. This study uses differences in industry structure between regions to identify the impact of that growth on labour market outcomes in Australia. Overall, the growth in Chinese imports is estimated to have reduced the ratio of manufacturing employment to population by 1.6 percentage points, and manufacturing employment by 221,000 workers. Adjustment to this impact on local manufacturing employment appears to have occurred through labour mobility between regions, but also increased rates of unemployment and non-participation. Growth in manufacturing imports from other Asian countries during this period, by contrast, is found to have had little impact on manufacturing employment in Australia – with the main explanation for the difference being that Chinese imports were weighted more to manufacturing sectors experiencing slower growth in domestic consumption (absorption) and with high labour-intensity. The study concludes by interpreting the estimated impacts of Chinese imports on Australia against estimates for other countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Coelli & James Maccarrone & Jeff Borland, 2021. "The dragon down under: The regional labour market impact of growth in Chinese imports to Australia," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2021n09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2021n09
    as

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    File URL: https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3849575/wp2021n09.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    1. Jordy Meekes, 2022. "Agglomeration Economies and the Urban Wage Premium in Australia," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 25(1), pages 25-54.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Manufacturing employment; trade shocks; labour market adjustment; import exposure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor

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