Service Imports, Workforce Composition, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Finnish Microdata
39 Pages Posted: 7 Oct 2019 Last revised: 5 Jan 2022
There are 2 versions of this paper
Service Imports, Workforce Composition, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Finnish Microdata
Date Written: October 2019
Abstract
This paper uses unique Finnish firm-level micro data on service imports, work- force composition, and firm characteristics to examine changes in employment composition and performance of Finnish service importers during a period of a significant increase in services imports (2002-2012). We use world service export supply shocks, which we allocate to firms based on their highly specialized service input structure, as an instrument to identify the impact of service offshoring. We find that firms that increase imports of service inputs reduce employment of low-skill service workers, increase employment of (high-skilled) managers and improve their performance in terms of sales (turnover), assets, service exports, and firm survival. The employment composition and performance responses to service imports differ across firms in the manufacturing sector and those in the service sector.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation