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Multinationals, Intrafirm Trade, and Employment Volatility

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  • HIGUCHI Yoshio
  • KIYOTA Kozo
  • MATSUURA Toshiyuki

Abstract

This paper examines the theoretically ambiguous relationship between the volatility of employment growth and the foreign exposure of a firm. We use unique firm-level data for Japan for the period 1994-2012, which allow us to examine the differences between 1) multinational firms, trading firms, and nontrading firms; 2) manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade; and 3) intrafirm and interfirm trade. One of the major findings is that, in manufacturing, the effect of exports on the volatility of employment varies depending on the share of intrafirm exports to total sales. In contrast, in wholesale and retail trade, exports do not have significant effects on employment volatility. The results suggest that intrafirm trade transmits the effects of foreign demand and supply shocks differently between manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade.

Suggested Citation

  • HIGUCHI Yoshio & KIYOTA Kozo & MATSUURA Toshiyuki, 2016. "Multinationals, Intrafirm Trade, and Employment Volatility," Discussion papers 16087, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    • Handle: RePEc:eti:dpaper:16087
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Minjung Kim, 2022. "Trade and employment volatility of firms during the global financial crisis and post-crisis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(5), pages 2091-2109, May.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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