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Employment and wage effects of trade liberalization : the case of Mexican manufacturing

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  • Revenga, Ana

Abstract

In 1985, after decades of an import-substitution industrial strategy, Mexico initiated a radical liberalization of its external sector. Between 1985 and 1988, import licensing requirements were scaled back to a quarter of earlier levels, reference prices were removed, and tariff rates on most products were substantially reduced. By 1989, Mexico was one of the most open economies in the developing world. Adjusting to trade liberalization required the reallocation of resources between sectors and entailed substantial dislocation of workers. The author analyzes how Mexico's trade liberalization (1985-87) affected employment and wages in indusry, focusing on how it affected average employment and earnings rather than on the link between trade and relative wages. She examines the tradeoff between wage and employment adjustment, identifies which labor groups benefited more from liberalization, and tries to associate changes in employment and wages directly with measures of change in trade protection, rather than link them to changes in imports and exports (which is more common). The author also finds that reductions in quota coverage and tariff levels are associated with moderate reductions in firm-level employment. A 10-point reduction in tariff levels (between 1985 and 1990) is associated with a 2- to 3- percent decline in employment in Mexico. Changes in quota average appear to have no discernible effect on wages, but reduction in tariff levels are associated with increases in average wages. This seems to reflect improved productivity in the reformed industries, which may be related to a shift toward the use of more skilled workers. There seems to have been a slight shift in the skill mix in favor of nonproduction workers. This was paralleled by a sharper increase in the wage differential between skilled and unskilled workers. The wages and employment of skilled production workers were significantly more responsive to changes in protection levels than those of nonproduction workers - perhaps partly because production workers were more heavily concentrated in the industries in which protection levels were greatly reduced.

Suggested Citation

  • Revenga, Ana, 1995. "Employment and wage effects of trade liberalization : the case of Mexican manufacturing," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1524, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:1524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Independent Evaluation Group, 2006. "Assessing World Bank Support for Trade, 1987-2004 : An IEG Evaluation," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6966, December.
    2. Mayer-Foulkes, David, 2008. "The Human Development Trap in Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 775-796, May.
    3. Munshi, Farzana, 2006. "Does openness reduce wage inequality in developing countries? A panel data analysis," Working Papers in Economics 241, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics, revised 06 Feb 2008.
    4. José Palma, 2015. "Globalizing Inequality: ‘Centrifugal’ and ‘Centripetal’ Forces at Work," Working Papers id:7199, eSocialSciences.
    5. Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys, 2002. "Technology and firm performance in Mexico," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2778, The World Bank.
    6. Guzin Emel Akkus, 2016. "The Effects of Import Competition on Employment and Wages in the Manufacturing Industry of Turkey," Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, Eurasian Publications, vol. 4(1), pages 50-58.
    7. Pradhan, Jaya Prakash, 2005. "How Do Trade, Foreign Investment, and Technology Affect Employment Patterns in Organized Indian Manufacturing?," MPRA Paper 19010, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Kanbur, Ravi & Lustig, Nora, 1999. "Why is Inequality Back on the Agenda?," Working Papers 127690, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    9. José Gabriel Palma, 2011. "National Inequality in the Era of Globalisation: What do Recent Data Tell Us?," Chapters, in: Jonathan Michie (ed.), The Handbook of Globalisation, Second Edition, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Márquez, Gustavo & Pagés, Carmen, 1997. "Trade and Employment: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 6064, Inter-American Development Bank.
    11. Lopez Julio, 2002. "Modernization, Heterogeneity and Employment in Mexico," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 227-242.
    12. Bacchetta, Marc & Jansen, Marion, 2003. "Adjusting to trade liberalization: The role of policy, institutions and WTO Disciplines," WTO Special Studies, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division, volume 7, number 7.
    13. Carmen Pagés-Serra & Gustavo Márquez, 1998. "Comercio y empleo: elementos de juicio de América Latina y el Caribe," Research Department Publications 4109, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    14. Arturo Pérez Mendoza, 2005. "Liberalización comercial y la creación y destrucción de empleo," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 20(1), pages 79-108.
    15. Suryahadi, A. & Chen, P. & Tyers, R., 1999. "Openness, Technological Change and Labor Demand in Pre-Crisis Indonesia," Papers 377, Australian National University - Department of Economics.
    16. Beker, Victor A., 2012. "A case study on trade liberalization: Argentina in the 1990s," Economics Discussion Papers 2012-3, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. José Gabriel Palma, 2006. "Globalizing Inequality: ‘Centrifugal’ and ‘Centripetal’ Forces at Work," Working Papers 35, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    18. Richard B. Freeman, 2004. "Trade Wars: The Exaggerated Impact of Trade in Economic Debate," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 1-23, January.
    19. Norman V. Loayza & Luis Servén, 2010. "Business Regulation and Economic Performance," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2554, December.
    20. Benjamin Aleman-Castilla, 2006. "The Effect of Trade Liberalization on Informality and Wages: Evidence from Mexico," CEP Discussion Papers dp0763, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    21. Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys & Tinajero, Monica & Rubio, Marcela, 2005. "Mexico : human capital effects on wages and productivity," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3791, The World Bank.
    22. Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys, 2003. "Wages and productivity in Mexican manufacturing," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2964, The World Bank.
    23. Jaime Ros & Nora Claudia Lustig, 2000. "Trade and Financial Liberalization with Volatile Capital Inflows: Macroeconomic Consequences and Social Impacts in Mexico during the 1990s," SCEPA working paper series. 2000-08, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.

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