IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/mareco/v19y2025i2p229-245.html

Trade in Value Added and Employment in India’s Manufacturing Sector: An Empirical Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Ananya Das

    (Ananya Das is a former student of MA (Economics) (2022–24), at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, India.)

  • Kanupriya

    (Kanupriya (corresponding author) is an Assistant Professor (Economics and Trade Policy) at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, India. E-mail: kanupriya@iift.edu)

Abstract

This perspective is an attempt to understand the linkages between trade in value added and employment in India’s formal manufacturing sector. The article uses the techniques of panel data and simple time-series regression analyses. The main contention of this study is that trade in value added positively influences employment in the manufacturing sector. This research has a potentially immense impact on India’s future industrial policies, especially considering the country’s strong focus on the manufacturing sector in recent years. Initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Production Linked Incentive’ schemes highlight this emphasis. Given the imminent significance of global value chains for the country’s manufacturing and economic landscape, the outcomes of this research would greatly assist stakeholders in India’s manufacturing sector towards devising and executing pro-industrial policies, with a key focus on socio-economic factors, particularly employment. JEL Codes: F10, F14, F16, J39

Suggested Citation

  • Ananya Das & Kanupriya, 2025. "Trade in Value Added and Employment in India’s Manufacturing Sector: An Empirical Perspective," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 19(2), pages 229-245, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:mareco:v:19:y:2025:i:2:p:229-245
    DOI: 10.1177/00252921251401428
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00252921251401428
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00252921251401428?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rana Hasan & Devashish Mitra & K.V. Ramaswamy, 2007. "Trade Reforms, Labor Regulations, and Labor-Demand Elasticities: Empirical Evidence from India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 89(3), pages 466-481, August.
    2. Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis & Anwesha Aditya & Suvir Chandna, 2023. "Employment and global value chain participation: the Indian experience," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 75-94, February.
    3. Karishma Banga, 2016. "Impact of Global Value Chains on Employment in India," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 31(3), pages 631-673.
    4. Dani Rodrik, 1998. "Has Globalization Gone Too Far?," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 81-94, March.
    5. Xiao Jiang & William Milberg, 2013. "Capturing the jobs from globalization: trade and employment in global value chains," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2013-30, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    6. Mohamedou Nasser dine & Tengku Munawar Chalil, 2021. "Impact of Backward Linkages and Domestic Contents of Exports on Labor Productivity and Employment: Evidence from Japanese Industrial Data," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 36(4), pages 607-625.
    7. Alan V. Deardorff, 2001. "International Provision of Trade Services, Trade, and Fragmentation," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 233-248, May.
    8. Tran Nhuan KIEN & Yoon HEO, 2009. "Impacts Of Trade Liberalization On Employment In Vietnam: A System Generalized Method Of Moments Estimation," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 47(1), pages 81-103, March.
    9. Naila Kabeer & Simeen Mahmud, 2004. "Globalization, gender and poverty: Bangladeshi women workers in export and local markets," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(1), pages 93-109.
    10. Pinelopi K Goldberg & Amit K Khandelwal & Nina Pavcnik & Petia Topalova, 2010. "Multiproduct Firms and Product Turnover in the Developing World: Evidence from India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 92(4), pages 1042-1049, November.
    11. 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 20-43, July.
    12. Sasahara, Akira, 2019. "Explaining the employment effect of exports: Value-added content matters," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 1-21.
    13. Kunal Sen, 2009. "International Trade and Manufacturing Employment: Is India following the Footsteps of Asia or Africa?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(4), pages 765-777, November.
    14. Yue Mingyang & Yuan Hankun & Xu Chen & Jin Zhida, 2023. "The impact of trade on employment: New evidence from a global value chains perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, September.
    15. Shapiro, Carl & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1984. "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 433-444, June.
    16. Vashisht, Pankaj, 2016. "Creating manufacturing jobs in India: Has openness to trade really helped?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 53-64.
    17. Harrison, Ann & Hanson, Gordon, 1999. "Who gains from trade reform? Some remaining puzzles," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 125-154, June.
    18. Petia Topalova & Amit Khandelwal, 2011. "Trade Liberalization and Firm Productivity: The Case of India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 995-1009, August.
    19. L. Alan Winters, 2015. "Trade Liberalisation and Poverty: What are the Links?," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Non-Tariff Barriers, Regionalism and Poverty Essays in Applied International Trade Analysis, chapter 13, pages 241-269, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    20. Özlem Onaran, 2012. "The Effect of Foreign Affiliate Employment on Wages, Employment, and the Wage Share in Austria," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 251-271, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karishma Banga, 2017. "Impact of Linking into Global Value Chains on Indian Employment," Working Papers 1701, Council on Economic Policies.
    2. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Nina Pavcnik, 2007. "Distributional Effects of Globalization in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(1), pages 39-82, March.
    3. Ashmita Gupta, 2021. "Effect of Trade Liberalization on Gender Inequality: The Case of India," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 69(4), pages 682-720, December.
    4. Admasu Shiferaw & Degol Hailu, 2016. "Job creation and trade in manufactures: industry-level analysis across countries," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-36, December.
    5. Aaheli Ahmed & Debashis Chakraborty & Sakshi Aggarwal, 2024. "Trade Liberalization and Labour Market Dynamics: Evidence from India," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 22(4), pages 851-881, December.
    6. Petia Topalova, 2010. "Factor Immobility and Regional Impacts of Trade Liberalization: Evidence on Poverty from India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 1-41, October.
    7. L. ALAN WINTERS & NEIL McCULLOCH & ANDREW McKAY, 2015. "Trade Liberalization and Poverty: The Evidence So Far," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Non-Tariff Barriers, Regionalism and Poverty Essays in Applied International Trade Analysis, chapter 14, pages 271-314, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    8. Eric V. Edmonds & Nina Pavcnik & Petia Topalova, 2010. "Trade Adjustment and Human Capital Investments: Evidence from Indian Tariff Reform," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 42-75, October.
    9. Carl Davidson & Steven J. Matusz, 2010. "Our Motivation," Introductory Chapters, in: International Trade with Equilibrium Unemployment, Princeton University Press.
    10. Sato, Hitoshi & Zhu, Lianming, 2014. "Tariff reductions and labor demand elasticities : evidence from Chinese firm-level data," IDE Discussion Papers 463, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    11. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Marjit, Sugata, 2017. "International trade and quality of labour," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 582-595.
    12. Aditya Bhattacharjea, 2006. "Labour Market Regulation and Industrial Performance in India--A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence," Working papers 141, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    13. Devashish Mitra, 2019. "Responses to Trade Opening: Evidence and Lessons from Asia," Working Papers id:12977, eSocialSciences.
    14. Lichter, Andreas & Peichl, Andreas & Siegloch, Sebastian, 2015. "The own-wage elasticity of labor demand: A meta-regression analysis," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 94-119.
    15. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Amit Kumar Khandelwal & Nina Pavcnik & Petia Topalova, 2010. "Imported Intermediate Inputs and Domestic Product Growth: Evidence from India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(4), pages 1727-1767.
    16. repec:pru:wpaper:27 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Ahsan, Reshad N. & Chatterjee, Arpita, 2017. "Trade liberalization and intergenerational occupational mobility in urban India," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 138-152.
    18. Javed Iqbal & Misbah Nosheen & Syed Nawab Haider Naqvi, 2015. "Trade Shocks and Labour Adjustment: Evidence from Pakistan’s Manufacturing Industries," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 54(3), pages 197-214.
    19. Utsav Kumar & Prachi Mishra, 2008. "Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality: Evidence from India," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(2), pages 291-311, May.
    20. Mulyukova, Alina, 2025. "Services liberalization and product variety of manufacturing firms," Kiel Working Papers 2294, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    21. Sakshi Aggarwal & Debashis Chakraborty, 2020. "Labour Market Adjustment and Intra-Industry Trade: Empirical Results from Indian Manufacturing Sectors," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 15(2), pages 238-269, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • J39 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Other

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:mareco:v:19:y:2025:i:2:p:229-245. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ncaer.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.