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A closer look at the skilled labor demand increase in Brazil

Author

Listed:
  • Paulo de Andrade Jacinto
  • Eduardo Pontual Ribeiro
  • Tulio Cravo

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate skilled labor demand determinants in Brazil, considering alternatives explanations: changes in relative wages, non-homothetic technology output growth and skill-biased technical change. Design/methodology/approach - This study relies on a rich and unique matched employer-employee data set for manufacturing sector, from 1996 to 2003. The analysis considers a translog functional form labor demand system estimated using seemingly unrelated regression and instrumental variables to control for possible measurement errors and wages and output endogeneity. Findings - The demand function estimates suggest that: labor demand underlying technology is non-homothetic, research and development investment is biased toward skilled workers, the non-homothetic technology is not skill biased so output changes contributed positively for skilled labor increase, relative wages played a significant role and international trade has little explanatory power explaining labor demand shifts. Originality/value - This is the first paper that considers alternative explanations for the increase in the demand of skilled workers for manufacturing in Brazil simultaneously: changes in relative wages, output changes with non-homothetic technology, skill-biased technical change and, to a lesser extent, international trade. The study challenges current empirical evidence that considers trade and trade liberalization as the main factor explaining labor demand shifts.

Suggested Citation

  • Paulo de Andrade Jacinto & Eduardo Pontual Ribeiro & Tulio Cravo, 2017. "A closer look at the skilled labor demand increase in Brazil," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 44(2), pages 294-312, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:jespps:jes-08-2014-0146
    DOI: 10.1108/JES-08-2014-0146
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mussida, Chiara & Sciulli, Dario & Signorelli, Marcello, 2019. "Secondary school dropout and work outcomes in ten developing countries," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 547-567.
    2. Hanan Nazier, 2019. "Estimating Labor Demand Elasticities and Elasticities of Substitution in Egyptian Manufacturing Sector: A Firm-Level Static Analysis," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(4), pages 549-575, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D expenditures; Technical change; Homothetic technology; Skilled labour; J24; O15;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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