International Outsourcing and the Skill Structure of Labour Demand in the United Kingdom

Alexander Hijzen, Holger Görg and Robert C. Hine ()
Additional contact information
Robert C. Hine: University of Nottingham

No 1249, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper investigates empirically the link between international outsourcing and the skill structure of labour demand in the United Kingdom. It is the first detailed study of this issue for the UK. Outsourcing is calculated using import-use matrices of input-output tables for manufacturing industries for the period 1982 to 1996. Estimating a system of variable factor demands, our main results show that international outsourcing has had a strong negative impact on the demand for unskilled labour. Hence, international outsourcing is an important component in explanations of the changing skill structure of manufacturing industries in the United Kingdom.

Keywords: wages; skill-biased technological change; fragmentation; Outsourcing; trade (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F14 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2004-08
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published - published in: Economic Journal, 2005, 115 (506), 860-878

Downloads: (external link)
https://docs.iza.org/dp1249.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: International Outsourcing and the Skill Structure of Labour Demand in the United Kingdom (2005)
Working Paper: International Outsourcing and the Skill Structure of Labour Demand in the United Kingdom (2004)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1249

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
IZA, Margard Ody, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) IZA, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Holger Hinte ().