Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Lionel Fontagné
Author-Workplace-Name: Paris School of Economics. Université de Paris 1 & CEPII.
Title: Outsourcing, competitiveness and the labour market: losers and winners
Abstract: This article aims at briefly surveying the evidence of outsourcing, considering its impact on the labour market in advanced economies. On the base of the process 
	definition, a tentative assessment of the overall impact of trade with low wage economies is proposed and after that the article addresses two policy-related issues: 
	through which channels does trade with low wage countries (according to a broad definition of outsourcing) impact the labour market? And what are ultimately the 
	patterns of international specialisation after outsourcing has taken place? The three conclusions are that outsourcing is the clue to understand the observed changes 
	in labour demand; that product upgrading, and reshaping of production processes on an extended European basis, has preserved European competitiveness; and that top 
	range varieties produced at low cost thanks to outsourcing have been key to such competitiveness.
Classification-JEL: F14, J23, L6.
Keywords: Offshoring; Outsourcing; Relocalization; Labour market; European Union.
Journal: Papeles de Europa
Pages: 35-49
Volume: 18
Year: 2009
X-File-Ref: http://america.sim.ucm.es/repec/ucm/ref/padeur09-18(35-49).txt
File-URL: https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/68245/1/2009-18(35-49).pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:ucm:padeur:v:18:y:2009:p:35-49