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Offshoring and Unemployment

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Author Info
Devashish Mitra () (Department of Economics, Syracuse University, NBER and IZA)
Priya Ranjan () (Department of Economics, University of California-Irvine)

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Abstract

In this paper, in order to study the impact of offshoring on sectoral and economywide rates of unemployment, we construct a two sector general equilibrium model in which labor is mobile across the two sectors, and unemployment is caused by search frictions. We find that, contrary to general perception, wage increases and sectoral unemployment decreases due to offshoring. This result can be understood to arise from the productivity enhancing (cost reducing) effect of offshoring. If the search cost is identical in the two sectors, or even if the search cost is higher in the sector which experiences offshoring, the economywide rate of unemployment decreases. We also find multiple equilibrium outcomes in the extent of offshoring and therefore, in the unemployment rate. Furthermore, a firm can increase its domestic employment through offshoring. Also, such a firm's domestic employment can be higher than a firm that chooses to remain fully domestic. When we modify the model to disallow intersectoral labor mobility, the negative relative price effect on the sector in which firms offshore some of their activity becomes stronger. In such a case, it is possible for this effect to offset the positive productivity effect, and result in a rise in unemployment in that sector. In the other sector, offshoring has a much stronger unemployment reducing effect in the absence of intersectoral labor mobility than in the presence of it. Finally, allowing for an endogenous number of varieties provides an additional indirect channel, through which sectoral unemployment goes down due to the entry of new firms brought about by offshoring.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 060719.

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Length: 47 pages
Date of creation: May 2007
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:irv:wpaper:060719

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Related research
Keywords: Offshoring; Imperfect competition; Unemployment; Job search; Vacancies;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies
F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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References listed on IDEAS
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Bruno Decreuse & Paul Maarek, 2008. "FDI and the labor share in developing countries: A theory andsome evidence," Working Papers halshs-00333704_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Ronald Bachmann & Sebastian Braun, 2008. "The Impact of International Outsourcing on Labour Market Dynamics in Germany," Ruhr Economic Papers 0053, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Pushan Dutt & Devashish Mitra & Priya Ranjan, 2007. "International Trade and Unemployment: Theory and Cross-National Evidence," Working Papers 070808, University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Felbermayr, Gabriel & Prat, Julien & Schmerer, Hans-Jörg, 2008. "Globalization and Labor Market Outcomes: Wage Bargaining, Search Frictions, and Firm Heterogeneity," IZA Discussion Papers 3363, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  5. Lars Calmfors & Giancarlo Corsetti & Michael P. Devereux & Gilles Saint-Paul & Hans-Werner Sinn & Jan-Egbert Sturm & Xavier Vives, 2008. "Chapter 3: The effect of globalisation on Western European jobs: curse or blessing?," EEAG Report on the European Economy, CESifo Group Munich, vol. 0, pages 71-104, 02. [Downloadable!]
  6. Bilgehan Karabay & John McLaren, 2009. "Trade, Offshoring, and the Invisible Handshake," NBER Working Papers 15048, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Richard Brecher & Zhiqi Chen, 2008. "Unemployment Of Skilled And Unskilled Labor In An Open Economy: International Trade, Migration And Outsourcing," Carleton Economic Papers 08-07, Carleton University, Department of Economics, revised 01 Oct 2008. [Downloadable!]
  8. Frank Butter & Jan Möhlmann & Paul Wit, 2008. "Trade and product innovations as sources for productivity increases: an empirical analysis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 201-211, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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