Patterns in GVC integration, technology and employment structures in Europe

You are invited to a Zoom Seminar by Maria Savona from the University of Sussex on "Patterns in GVC integration, technology and employment structures in Europe: country and sectoral evidence."

Register here to attend.

Abstract:

The paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between patterns of integration in global value chains (GVCs), the ‘quality of such integration in terms of technological capabilities, and the structure of employment in European countries and sectors. We study employment shares in fabrication and high-value added services, headquarters, occupations in terms of functional specialisation and employment upgrading. The paper makes two specific contributions. First, we explicitly account for pre-existing asymmetries in employment structure. Second, we account for quality of GVC integration, that is the complex role of technology both in terms of country industries own initial technological intensity and that of their GVC partners. To achieve this, we use data on employment, trade-in value-added, patents, and intangible asset stocks. We find that such pre-existing asymmetries are highly persistent over time. In contrast, GVC participation is not related, in and of itself, to changes in employment structure. However, country-industries that start off as leaders in terms of technological intensity exhibit larger shares of employment in headquarter functions, as they increase their integration in GVCs.

Keywords:
Global Value Chains; Technology; Intangible assets; Employment;

JEL codes:
F14, F15, O33

All are welcome to attend!