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Regional origins of employment volatility: evidence from German states

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  • Claudia Buch
  • Martin Schlotter

Abstract

Greater openness for trade can have positive welfare effects in terms of higher growth. But increased openness may also increase uncertainty through a higher volatility of employment. We use regional data from Germany to test whether openness for trade has an impact on volatility. We find a downward trend in the unconditional volatility of employment, paralleling patterns for output volatility. The conditional volatility of employment, measuring idiosyncratic developments across states, in contrast, has remained fairly unchanged. In contrast to evidence for the US, we do not find a significant link between employment volatility and trade openness. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Buch & Martin Schlotter, 2013. "Regional origins of employment volatility: evidence from German states," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(1), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:40:y:2013:i:1:p:1-19
    DOI: 10.1007/s10663-011-9175-2
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ayesha Ashraf & Dierk Herzer & Peter Nunnenkamp, 2017. "Greenfield FDI, cross-border M&As, and government size," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(5), pages 566-584, July.
    3. Jaanika Merikull & Tairi Room, "undated". "Are foreign-owned firms different ? Comparision of employment volatility and elasticity of labour demand," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2014-1, Bank of Estonia.
    4. Hasan Engin Duran, 2019. "Structural change and output volatility reduction in OECD countries: evidence of the Second Great Moderation," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Hanan Nazier, 2019. "Estimating Labor Demand Elasticities and Elasticities of Substitution in Egyptian Manufacturing Sector: A Firm-Level Static Analysis," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(4), pages 549-575, December.
    6. Ashraf, Ayesha, 2015. "The Effects of Greenfield FDI and Cross-Border M&As on Government Size," MPRA Paper 65061, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Francisco J. Pallares & Richard V. Adkisson, 2017. "The Impact of Industrial Diversification on Employment Growth in the 50 U.S. States: 2000-2013," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 31(4), pages 275-284, November.
    8. Ben Salha, Ousama, 2013. "Does economic globalization affect the level and volatility of labor demand by skill? New insights from the Tunisian manufacturing industries," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 572-597.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employment volatility; Trade openness; Regional labour markets; F41; E32; R23;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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