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The Leisure Gains from International Trade

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  • Velasquez, Agustin

Abstract

The average number of hours worked has been declining in many countries. If workers have preferences such that income effects outweigh substitution effects, then a welfare-improving response to rising income is to reduce labor supply to enjoy more leisure time. Using a multi-country Ricardian trade model, I derive an hours-to-trade elasticity that is composed by the wage (Marshallian) and trade elasticities. I estimate the hours-to-trade elasticity by exploiting exogenous income variation generated by trade. Findings suggest that a one percent increase in imports (as share of GDP) leads to a 0.17 percent decline in hours per worker. This implies dominating income effects backed by a wage elasticity of -0.16 and a trade elasticity close to unity. I quantify that the rise in trade openness between 1950 and 2014 explains, on average, 7.4 percent of the total decline in hours per worker in high-income countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Velasquez, Agustin, 2025. "The Leisure Gains from International Trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:inecon:v:155:y:2025:i:c:s0022199625000170
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2025.104061
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hours worked; Leisure; Labor supply; Uncompensated elasticity; Marshallian elasticity; International trade;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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