Do Jobs in Exports Industries Still Pay More. And Why

摘要

Workers in export-intensive industries generally earn more. There are several reasons for this. First, workers in industries with greater access to international markets benefit from the industries' investments in capital and technology along the lines of U.S. comparative advantage. These investments increase the value of labor inputs and therefore earnings. Second, export-intensive industries employ a more highly educated workforce, and the higher earnings reflect the industry composition of the workforce. For this reason, part of the higher earnings should be attributed to the worker's educational attainment rather than to exporting. Finally, the higher earnings reflect industry factors that increase the productivity of the worker's whether they export or not, but which also increase the probability that the worker's industry will succeed in exporting.