Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)

This paper quantifies the extent to which trade liberalization in Malaysia between 1991 and 2000 has contributed to the expansion in the most skilled labor, which in turn can validate the trade-enhanced quality upgrading hypothesis. By using an input–output structural decomposition analysis (SDA), r...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Saari, Mohd Yusof, Pei, Jiansuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: World Scientific Publishing 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/1/Skill-biased%20export%20growth.pdf
_version_ 1848846795016241152
author Saari, Mohd Yusof
Pei, Jiansuo
author_facet Saari, Mohd Yusof
Pei, Jiansuo
author_sort Saari, Mohd Yusof
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper quantifies the extent to which trade liberalization in Malaysia between 1991 and 2000 has contributed to the expansion in the most skilled labor, which in turn can validate the trade-enhanced quality upgrading hypothesis. By using an input–output structural decomposition analysis (SDA), results confirm the theoretical predication that skills help to upgrade the quality of exporting commodities, by documenting that trade growth is associated with increases in the use of the higher skilled labor. We observe that Chinese and Indian ethnic groups contribute the most to the quality upgrading of exporting commodities, more so than the Malays, which imply productivity differentials among the ethnic groups.
first_indexed 2025-11-15T09:08:23Z
format Article
id upm-30849
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-15T09:08:23Z
publishDate 2013
publisher World Scientific Publishing
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling upm-308492016-02-05T07:34:03Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/ Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000) Saari, Mohd Yusof Pei, Jiansuo This paper quantifies the extent to which trade liberalization in Malaysia between 1991 and 2000 has contributed to the expansion in the most skilled labor, which in turn can validate the trade-enhanced quality upgrading hypothesis. By using an input–output structural decomposition analysis (SDA), results confirm the theoretical predication that skills help to upgrade the quality of exporting commodities, by documenting that trade growth is associated with increases in the use of the higher skilled labor. We observe that Chinese and Indian ethnic groups contribute the most to the quality upgrading of exporting commodities, more so than the Malays, which imply productivity differentials among the ethnic groups. World Scientific Publishing 2013 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/1/Skill-biased%20export%20growth.pdf Saari, Mohd Yusof and Pei, Jiansuo (2013) Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000). The Singapore Economic Review, 58 (2). art. no. 1350010. pp. 1-25. ISSN 0217-5908; ESSN: 1793-6837 10.1142/S0217590813500100
spellingShingle Saari, Mohd Yusof
Pei, Jiansuo
Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title_full Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title_fullStr Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title_full_unstemmed Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title_short Skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in Malaysia (1991-2000)
title_sort skill-biased export growth: accounting for the changes in labor contents across ethnic groups in malaysia (1991-2000)
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/30849/1/Skill-biased%20export%20growth.pdf