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Offshoring and jobs: The myriad channels of influence

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  • Groizard, Jose L.
  • Ranjan, Priya
  • Rodriguez-Lopez, Antonio

Abstract

Offshoring reallocates jobs inside firms, between firms, and across sectors, affecting the economy-wide unemployment rate. We study these channels in a model with labor market frictions and two sectors—a differentiated-good sector comprising heterogeneous firms that can offshore, and a homogeneous-good sector. A decline in offshoring costs affects intrafirm and intrasectoral reallocation of jobs in the differentiated-good sector through a selection effect, a productivity effect, and a job-relocation effect. The key parameters determining the impact of offshoring on jobs at various margins, as well as on the economy-wide unemployment rate, are the elasticity of substitution between inputs, the elasticity of substitution between varieties of differentiated goods, and the elasticity of demand for differentiated goods as a whole. Changes in search frictions affect unemployment both directly and through their interaction with offshoring.

Suggested Citation

  • Groizard, Jose L. & Ranjan, Priya & Rodriguez-Lopez, Antonio, 2014. "Offshoring and jobs: The myriad channels of influence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 221-239.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:72:y:2014:i:c:p:221-239
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2014.10.004
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    2. Hartmut Egger & Udo Kreickemeier & Jens Wrona, 2017. "Offshoring Domestic Jobs," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: International Trade and Labor Markets Welfare, Inequality and Unemployment, chapter 2, pages 27-70, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Schäffler, Johannes & Moritz, Michael, 2018. "German FDI in the Czech Republic - Employment effects in the home country," IAB-Discussion Paper 201806, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    4. Baumgarten, Daniel & Irlacher, Michael & Koch, Michael, 2020. "Offshoring and non-monotonic employment effects across industries in general equilibrium," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    5. Unel, Bulent, 2018. "Offshoring and unemployment in a credit-constrained economy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 21-33.
    6. Machikita, Tomohiro & Sato, Hitoshi, 2016. "A model of temporary and permanent jobs and trade," IDE Discussion Papers 655, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    7. Egger, Hartmut & Kreickemeier, Udo & Moser, Christoph & Wrona, Jens, 2024. "Offshoring and job polarisation between firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    8. Asquith, Brian & Goswami, Sanjana & Neumark, David & Rodriguez-Lopez, Antonio, 2019. "U.S. job flows and the China shock," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 123-137.
    9. Bulent Unel, 2019. "A model of occupational choice, offshoring and immigration," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 267-289, February.
    10. Jiang, Zhe (Jasmine), 2023. "‘Multinational Firms’ Sourcing Decisions and Wage Inequality: A Dynamic Analysis," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    11. Schäffler, Johannes, 2016. "German Direct Investments in the Czech Republic – Employment Effects on German Multinational Enterprises," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145526, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Eppinger, Peter S., 2019. "Service offshoring and firm employment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 209-228.
    13. Nam T. Vu & Jiayu Wu, 2020. "International Effects of Stock Market Dispersion," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(4), pages 1393-1417, April.
    14. repec:wsr:wpaper:y:2018:i:191 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Wilhelm Kohler & Jens Wrona, 2021. "Trade in tasks: Revisiting the wage and employment effects of offshoring," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(2), pages 648-676, May.
    16. Jiang, Zhe (Jasmine), 2024. "Offshoring, firm-level adjustment and labor market outcomes," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    17. Vallizadeh, Ehsan & Muysken, Joan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2016. "Offshoring Medium-Skill Tasks, Low-Skill Unemployment and the Skill-Wage Structure," MPRA Paper 75581, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Antonio Rodriguez-Lopez & Miaojie Yu, 2017. "All-Around Trade Liberalization and Firm-Level Employment: Theory and Evidence from China," CESifo Working Paper Series 6710, CESifo.
    19. Antonio Rodriguez‐Lopez & Miaojie Yu, 2024. "All‐around trade liberalization and firm‐level employment: Theory and evidence from China," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 328-370, May.
    20. Konstantin Koerner, 2023. "The wage effects of offshoring to the East and West: evidence from the German labor market," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 159(2), pages 399-435, May.
    21. Körner, Konstantin, 2021. "The Wage Effects of Offshoring to the East and West: Evidence from Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 202115, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    22. Priya Ranjan, 2014. "Globalization, Jobs, and Welfare: The Roles of Social Protection and Redistribution," Working Papers 141507, University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics.
    23. Ranjan, Priya, 2016. "Globalization and risk averse workers: The roles of labor market and trade policies," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 64-79.
    24. Liang Zhang & Bin Qiu & Xiaocong Xu & Shaoqin Sun, 2021. "Offshoring, Wages, and Skill Premiums: Firm‐level Evidence from China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(5), pages 1-27, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Heterogeneous firms; Offshoring costs; Search frictions; Unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions

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