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The Employment and Wage Effects of Import Competition in the United States

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  • Gene M. Grossman

Abstract

A new methodology is developed to determine the extent to which import competition has been responsible for labor displacements and wage movements inspecific, allegedly trade-impacted sectors. The procedure involves the estimation of reduced-form wage and employment equations by sector. These equations are first derived from a more complete structural model of general equilibrium resource allocation.The proposed methodology is applied to nine manufacturing sectors in the United States. The sensitivity of employment to the domestic price of imports varies significantly across these nine sectors, whereas industry wages are relatively unaffected by movements in the price of the foreign good.Counterfactual simulations are performed under the hypothetical assumption of no intensification or abatement of import competition from 1967-1979. The differences between the paths of unemployment and wages so generated and the actual, historical paths are attributed to the effects of import competition.Imports have been responsible for the loss of a large number of jobs in only one industry, and for a significant loss in wages in two industries, among the nine studied.

Suggested Citation

  • Gene M. Grossman, 1982. "The Employment and Wage Effects of Import Competition in the United States," NBER Working Papers 1041, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:1041
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    1. Martin, John P & Evans, John M, 1981. "Notes on Measuring the Employment Displacement Effects of Trade by the Accounting Procedure," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 33(1), pages 154-164, March.
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    2. David Autor & David Dorn & Gordon Hanson, 2021. "On the Persistence of the China Shock," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 52(2 (Fall)), pages 381-476.
    3. Naoko Shinkai, 2000. "Does the Stopler-Samuelson Theorem Explain the Movement in Wages? The Linkage Between Trade and Wages in Latin American Countries," Research Department Publications 4237, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    4. Rodolfo Helg & Riccardo Faini & Anna M. Falzoni & Marzio Galeotti & Alessandro Turrini, 2001. "Importing Jobs And Exporting Firms? On The Wage And Employment Implications Of Italy’S Trade And Foreign Direct Investment Flows," International Trade 0103001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Grossman, Gene M., 1986. "Imports as a cause of injury: The case of the U.S. steel industry," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3-4), pages 201-223, May.
    6. Stefano Federico, 2014. "Industry Dynamics and Competition from Low-Wage Countries: Evidence on Italy," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 76(3), pages 389-410, June.
    7. John M. Abowd & Thomas Lemieux, 1991. "The Effects of International Competition on Collective Bargaining Outcomes: A Comparison of the United States and Canada," NBER Chapters, in: Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market, pages 343-367, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Klein, Michael W. & Schuh, Scott & Triest, Robert K., 2003. "Job creation, job destruction, and the real exchange rate," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 239-265, March.
    9. Christis Tombazos, 1999. "The role of imports in expanding the demand gap between skilled and unskilled labour in the US," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(4), pages 509-516.
    10. Hajnalka Tarjani, 2005. "Estimating some labour market implications of skill biased technology change and imports in Hungary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 0508, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    11. Robert E. Baldwin, 1995. "The Effects of Trade and Foreign Direct Investment on Employment and Relative Wages," OECD Jobs Study Working Papers 4, OECD Publishing.
    12. Agnes Kügler & Klaus Friesenbichler & Cornelius Hirsch, 2024. "Labour Market Effects of Trade in a Small Open Economy," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 11, pages 1-26.
    13. Antonia Lòpez-Villavicencio & Luis Antonio Reyes Ortiz, 2018. "Is globalisation taking away jobs? An empirical assessment for advanced economies," CEPN Working Papers halshs-01895223, HAL.
    14. Harrison, Ann & Hanson, Gordon, 1999. "Who gains from trade reform? Some remaining puzzles," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 125-154, June.
    15. Naoko Shinkai, 2000. "¿Explica el teorema Stopler-Samuelson el desplazamiento de los salarios? El vínculo entre el comercio internacional y los salarios en países latinoamericanos," Research Department Publications 4238, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    16. Roberto Coronado & Eduardo Saucedo, 2019. "Drug-related violence in Mexico and its effects on employment," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 653-681, August.
    17. Oscarsson, Eva, 2000. "Trade, Employment and Wages in Sweden 1975-93," Research Papers in Economics 2000:8, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    18. Antonia Lòpez-Villavicencio & Luis Antonio Reyes Ortiz, 2018. "Is globalisation taking away jobs? An empirical assessment for advanced economies," Working Papers halshs-01895223, HAL.
    19. Ann Harrison & Ana Revenga, 1995. "The Effects of Trade Policy Reform: What Do We Really Know?," NBER Working Papers 5225, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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