Do Exporters Really Pay Higher Wages? First Evidence from German Linked Employer-Employee Data

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

Authors

Many plant-level studies find that average wages in exporting firms are higher than in non-exporting firms from the same industry and region. This paper uses a large set of linked employer-employee data from Germany to analyze this exporter wage premium. We show that the wage differential becomes smaller but does not completely vanish when observable and unobservable characteristics of the employees and of the work place are controlled for. For example, blue-collar (white-collar) employees working in a plant with an export-sales ratio of 60 percent earn about 1.8 (0.9) percent more than similar employees in otherwise identical non-exporting plants.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMicroeconometrics of International Trade
EditorsJoachim Wagner
Number of pages37
PublisherWorld Scientific Publishing Co.
Publication date01.07.2016
Pages177-213
ISBN (print)9789813109681
ISBN (electronic)9789813109698, 978-981-3109-70-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

    Research areas

  • exporter wage premium, Exports, Germany, linked employer- employee data, wages
  • Economics