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Import Competition and Skill Content in U.S. Manufacturing Industries

Author

Listed:
  • Yi Lu

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Travis Ng

    (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

Skill content varies enormously across industries and over time. This paper shows that import competition can explain a significant portion of the variation in various skill measures across manufacturing industries. Industries that face more intense import competition employ more nonroutine skill sets, including cognitive, interpersonal, and manual skills, and fewer cognitive routine skills. In addition, we find that the impact of import competition on skills is not driven by imports from low-wage countries or from China. A number of robustness checks also suggest that our results are unlikely to be driven by econometric problems. © 2013 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi Lu & Travis Ng, 2013. "Import Competition and Skill Content in U.S. Manufacturing Industries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(4), pages 1404-1417, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:95:y:2013:i:4:p:1404-1417
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    import competition; skills; labor market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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