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Outsourcing and the Demand for Low-skilled Labour in German Manufacturing: New Evidence

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  • Ingo Geishecker

Abstract

This paper analyses how international outsourcing has affected the relative demand for low skilled workers in Germany during the 1990s. In contrast to previous empirical work, the single elements of the input-output-matrix are used to disentangle international outsourcing and trade in final goods more accurately. The main finding is that during the 1990s international outsourcing had a significant negative impact on the relative demand for low-skilled workers, explaining between 19% and 24% of the overall decline in the relative demand for low-skilled labour.

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  • Ingo Geishecker, 2002. "Outsourcing and the Demand for Low-skilled Labour in German Manufacturing: New Evidence," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 313, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp313
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    1. Tomiura, Eiichi, 2005. "Foreign outsourcing and firm-level characteristics: Evidence from Japanese manufacturers," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 255-271, June.
    2. Lorentowicz, Andzelika & Marin, Dalia & Raubold, Alexander, 2005. "Is Human Capital Losing From Outsourcing? Evidence for Austria and Poland," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 76, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    3. Rocha-Akis, Silvia, 2006. "Labour tax policies and strategic offshoring under unionised oligopoly," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 99, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    4. Aekapol Chongvilaivan & Jung Hur & Yohanes E. Riyanto, 2009. "Outsourcing Types, Relative Wages, And The Demand For Skilled Workers: New Evidence From U.S. Manufacturing," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 47(1), pages 18-33, January.
    5. Yiping Zhu, 2008. "Globalisation, Employment, and Wage Rate: What Does Literature Tell Us?," IMK Working Paper 07-2008, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    6. Geishecker, Ingo & Gorg, Holger, 2005. "Do unskilled workers always lose from fragmentation?," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 81-92, March.
    7. Urban, Dieter M & Weder di Mauro, Beatrice & Moser, Christoph, 2009. "Offshoring, Firm Performance and Establishment-Level Employment: Identifying Productivity and Downsizing Effects," CEPR Discussion Papers 7455, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Shandre Thangavelu & Aekapol Chongvilaivan, 2011. "The impact of material and service outsourcing on employment in Thailand's manufacturing industries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(27), pages 3931-3944.
    9. Michael Knogler & Volkhart Vincentz, 2005. "Auswirkungen der EU-Osterweiterung auf die Arbeitsmärkte der neuen Mitgliedstaaten und der EU-15, insbesondere Deutschland," Working Papers 257, Leibniz Institut für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung (Institute for East and Southeast European Studies).
    10. Ingo Geishecker & Holger Görg, 2003. "Winners and Losers: Fragmentation, Trade and Wages Revisited," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 385, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    11. Ljubica Nedelkoska & Simon Wiederhold, 2010. "Technology, outsourcing, and the demand for heterogeneous labor: Exploring the industry dimension," Jena Economics Research Papers 2010-052, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    12. Gorg, Holger & Hanley, Aoife, 2005. "Labour demand effects of international outsourcing: Evidence from plant-level data," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 365-376.
    13. Marin, Dalia & Lorentowicz, Andzelika & Raubold, Alexander, 2005. "Is Human Capital Losing from Outsourcing?," CEPR Discussion Papers 5344, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Braun, Sebastian & Scheffel, Juliane, 2007. "Does international outsourcing depress union wages?," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2007-033, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    15. Carsten Ochsen & Heinz Welsch, 2005. "Technology, Trade, and Income Distribution in West Germany: A Factor-Share Analysis, 1976–1994," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 321-345, November.
    16. Shandre M. Thangvelu, . "Trade, Technology, Foreign Firms and Wage Gap: Case of Vietnam Manufacturing Firms," Chapters, in: Chine Hee HAHN & Dionisius Narjoko (ed.), Impact of Globalization on Labor Market, chapter 5, pages 106-133, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    17. William Milberg & Deborah Winkler, 2009. "Globalization, Offshoring and Economic Insecurity in Industrialized Countries," Working Papers 87, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    18. Aekapol Chongvilaivan & Jung Hur, 2011. "Outsourcing, labour productivity and wage inequality in the US: a primal approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 487-502.
    19. Torben Krings, 2021. "‘Good’ Bad Jobs? The Evolution of Migrant Low-Wage Employment in Germany (1985–2015)," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(3), pages 527-544, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    international trade; outsourcing; skill-bias; labour demand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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