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Trade Liberalization and Employment in the Moroccan Manufacturing Sector

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Author Info
Lahcen ACHY (INSEA, Rabat, Morocco)
Khalid SEKKAT (ULB, Brussels, Belgium)

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Abstract

This paper uses firm level data to investigate the impact of trade liberalization on manufacturing sector employment in Morocco. This paper extends the existing research in various dimensions. First, it analyses the effect of trade openness on different skill levels of the manufacturing labor force. Second, the paper investigates the role of technology in explaining the magnitude of employment response following trade liberalization reforms. Our empirical results indicate that technology, as measured by capital intensity, and the share of new capital matters relatively more than trade in accounting for employment changes. In terms of policy implications, trade protection does not appear to be an effective tool in terms of saving jobs. Moreover, Moroccan commitments to further liberalize its trade means that manufacturing firms will have to face more competitive pressures on both domestic and foreign markets. Those firms that are endowed with upgraded technology are more likely to maintain or potentially raise their market shares, and hence create more jobs. Our results indicate that openness to foreign trade induces a significant skill composition effect. However, it also appears that skilled labor demand is highly sensitive to relative wages, which is consistent with the dominance of low value added products in the Moroccan manufacturing industries for which labor cost largely matters. The challenge for policy-makers is to design an appropriate support policies that stimulate domestic firms to invest and upgrade their technologies, ensure some degree of labor market flexibility, and create a business environment attractive for foreign investment.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by EconWPA in its series International Trade with number 0512011.

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Length: 31 pages
Date of creation: 14 Dec 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpit:0512011

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 31. Trade liberalization and employment
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Web page: http://129.3.20.41

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Related research
Keywords: Trade liberalization Employment Firm-level analysis

Find related papers by JEL classification:
F1 - International Economics - - Trade
F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
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. Harabi, Najib, 2003. "Determinants of Firm Growth: An Empirical Analysis from Morocco," MPRA Paper 4440, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Greenaway, David & Hine, Robert C. & Wright, Peter, 1999. "An empirical assessment of the impact of trade on employment in the United Kingdom," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 485-500, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Revenga, Ana, 1997. "Employment and Wage Effects of Trade Liberalization: The Case of Mexican Manufacturing," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(3), pages S20-43, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Sanjaya Lall, . "The Employment Impact Of Globalisation In Developing Countries," QEH Working Papers qehwps93, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford. [Downloadable!]
  5. Krishna B. Kumar & Raghuram G. Rajan & Luigi Zingales, . "What Determines Firm Size?," CRSP working papers 496, Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Agenor, Pierre-Richard & Aynaoui, Karim El, 2003. "Labor market policies and unemployment in Morocco : a quantitative analysis," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3091, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  7. Ann Harrison & Gordon Hanson, 1999. "Who Gains from Trade Reform? Some Remaining Puzzles," NBER Working Papers 6915, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Revenga, Ana L, 1992. "Exporting Jobs? The Impact of Import Competition on Employment and Wages in U.S. Manufacturing," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 107(1), pages 255-84, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. K. Sekkat, 2004. "Sources of growth in Morocco: an empirical analysis in a regional perspective," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 1-17, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Currie, Janet & Harrison, Ann E, 1997. "Sharing the Costs: The Impact of Trade Reform on Capital and Labor in Morocco," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(3), pages S44-71, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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