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Exporting and labor demand: Micro-level evidence from Germany

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  • Lichter, Andreas
  • Peichl, Andreas
  • Siegloch, Sebastian

Abstract

It is widely believed that globalization affects the extent of employment and wage responses to economic shocks. To provide evidence for this, we analyze the effect of firms' exporting behavior on the elasticity of labor demand. Using rich, German administrative linked employer-employee panel data from 1996 to 2008, we explicitly control for self-selection into exporting and endogeneity concerns. In line with our theoretical model, we find that exporting at both the intensive and extensive margins significantly increases the (absolute value of the) unconditional own-wage labor demand elasticity. This is not only true for the average worker, but also for different skill groups. For the median firm, the elasticity is three-quarters higher when comparing exporting to nonexporting firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Lichter, Andreas & Peichl, Andreas & Siegloch, Sebastian, 2014. "Exporting and labor demand: Micro-level evidence from Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-013, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:14013
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    trade; export; labor demand; wage elasticity; administrative microdata;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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