Trade liberalization and the wage–skill premium: evidence from Vietnamese manufacturing

Mita Bhattacharya, Kien Trung Nguyen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

This paper examines the wage–skill premium in Vietnamese manufacturing since the reform programme. The effects of tariff reductions on the wage–skill premium are analyzed in the presence of exporting opportunities, foreign investment, and research and development. The findings with firm-level data reveal that a 10-percentage point fall in output tariffs is associated with a 4 percent increase in the wage–skill premium. The wage–skill premium in foreign-invested enterprises is 40 percent higher than that of domestic enterprises. Trade liberalization influences the wage–skill premium in the presence of foreign ownership and R&D, while its impact on the skill premium only works through exporting.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)519-540
Number of pages22
JournalEconomics of Transition
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2019

Keywords

  • firm ownership
  • liberalization
  • tariffs
  • Vietnam
  • Wage–skill premium

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