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Reassessing the foreign ownership wage premium in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Hartmut Egger
  • Elke Jahn
  • Stefan Kornitzky

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effect of foreign takeover on wages of workers in German establishments, using rich linked employer–employee data from 2003 to 2014. To identify a causal effect of foreign takeover, we combine propensity‐score matching with a difference‐in‐difference estimator. We find that a takeover by a foreign investor leads to a wage premium of 4.0 log points in the year after ownership change, which further increases to 6.3 log points 3 years after acquisition. The wage premium is largest for high‐skilled workers, which is consistent with three theoretical arguments, namely rent appropriation by managers, technology protection and training on new technology. We also show that the wage premium does not pick up an exporter effect due to a platform investment of the foreign owner, that it takes about 4 years before it fully develops, that it does not vanish after foreign divestment and that the wage increase is specific to foreign acquisition instead of ownership change per se.

Suggested Citation

  • Hartmut Egger & Elke Jahn & Stefan Kornitzky, 2020. "Reassessing the foreign ownership wage premium in Germany," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 302-325, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:43:y:2020:i:2:p:302-325
    DOI: 10.1111/twec.12910
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    Cited by:

    1. Egger, Hartmut & Jahn, Elke & Kornitzky, Stefan, 2022. "How does the position in business group hierarchies affect workers’ wages?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 244-263.
    2. Frey, Rainer & Goldbach, Stefan, 2021. "Benefits of internationalisation for acquirers and targets - But unevenly distributed," Discussion Papers 33/2021, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    3. Paulina Broniatowska & Paweł Strawiński, 2021. "Foreign- and domestic firm ownership and its impact on wages. Evidence from Poland," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 27(4), pages 445-466, December.
    4. Rainer Frey & Stefan Goldbach, 2025. "Internationalisation as a boost for many firms: evidence from Germany," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 161(3), pages 911-963, August.
    5. Liis Roosaar & Jaan Masso & Rasmus Bøgh Holmen, 2025. "The effects of foreign acquisitions on wages: how the country of origin matters," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 59(1), pages 1-23, December.
    6. Hartmut Egger & Elke Jahn & Stefan Kornitzky, 2021. "How Does the Position in Business Group Hierarchies Affect Workers’ Wages?," Working Papers 213, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    7. Jahn, Elke & Egger, Hartmut & Kornitzky, Stefan, 2021. "Does the Position in Business Group Hierarchies Affect Workers' Wages?," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242374, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Roesch, Marcus & Gerritse, Michiel & Karreman, Bas & van Oort, Frank & Loog, Bart, 2025. "Do workers or firms drive the foreign acquisition wage gap?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    9. Marcus Rösch & Michiel Gerritse & Bas Karreman & Frank van Oort & Bart Loog, 2022. "Do firms or workers drive the foreign acquisition wage premium?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-014/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    10. Ito, Banri & Tanaka, Ayumu & Jinji, Naoto, 2023. "Why do people oppose foreign acquisitions? Evidence from Japanese individual-level data," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    11. Paul Wabiga & Neil Rankin, 2023. "Foreign acquisition and firm performance in sub‐Saharan Africa: Empirical evidence from Ghana," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 91(2), pages 242-269, June.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

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