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The Impact of Innovation on Employment in Small and Medium Enterprises with Different Growth Rates

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  • Zimmermann Volker

    (KfW Bankengruppe, Palmengartenstr. 5–9, 60325 Frankfurt a.M., Germany)

Abstract

This article examines the impact of innovation on employment growth in innovating small and medium enterprises. In contrast to existing studies, which typically use the least squares estimation technique, quantile regressions were carried out to analyse the data. This method allows one to examine the effects of innovation at any desired point on the distribution function - for example, in firms experiencing positive or negative growth - providing a more complete picture of the relationship between innovation and employment growth than the standard method of viewing deviations in the average effect. The key finding of the study is that innovation has a positive effect on employment in both growing and shrinking small and medium enterprises. In addition, innovation has a much stronger impact on employee headcounts in companies that are already experiencing strong growth than in their slower growing or shrinking counterparts. When differentiating between product and process innovations, the analysis shows that the introduction of new or improved processes has a larger impact on employment than product innovations. Thus, positive employment effects of innovations are not restricted to narrow segments of the economy. Economic policy aimed at bolstering the innovative strength of firms is thus a strong encouragement to employment on a broad basis.

Suggested Citation

  • Zimmermann Volker, 2009. "The Impact of Innovation on Employment in Small and Medium Enterprises with Different Growth Rates," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 229(2-3), pages 313-326, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:jns:jbstat:v:229:y:2009:i:2-3:p:313-326
    DOI: 10.1515/jbnst-2009-2-314
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour & F. Ebo Turkson & Agyapomaa Gyeke-Dako & Abena D. Oduro & Emmanuel Nii Abbey, 2020. "Innovation and employment in manufacturing and service firms in Ghana," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1153-1164, April.
    2. Pantea, Smaranda & Sabadash, Anna & Biagi, Federico, 2017. "Are ICT displacing workers in the short run? Evidence from seven European countries," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 36-44.
    3. Flavio Calvino, 2016. "Technological Innovation and the Distribution of Employment Growth: a firm-level analysis," LEM Papers Series 2016/37, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    4. Jens Horbach & Markus Janser, 2016. "The role of innovation and agglomeration for employment growth in the environmental sector," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 488-511, August.
    5. Michaela Fuchs & Udo Brixy, 2011. "How important are plant and regional characteristics for employment dynamics? Plant-level evidence for Germany," ERSA conference papers ersa10p243, European Regional Science Association.
    6. Giovanni Dosi & Xiaodan Yu, 2017. "Technological catching-up, sales dynamics and employment growth: evidence from China's manufacturing firms," LEM Papers Series 2017/27, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    7. Falk Martin, 2015. "Employment Effects of Technological and Organizational Innovations: Evidence Based on Linked Firm-Level Data for Austria," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 235(3), pages 268-285, June.
    8. Flavio Calvino & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2018. "The Innovation†Employment Nexus: A Critical Survey Of Theory And Empirics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 83-117, February.
    9. Horbach, Jens & Rennings, Klaus, 2012. "Environmental innovation and employment dynamics in different technology fields: An analysis based on the German community innovation survey 2009," ZEW Discussion Papers 12-006, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Martin Falk, 2012. "Quantile estimates of the impact of R&D intensity on firm performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 19-37, July.

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