Catching the butterflies

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Catching the butterflies WORKS expert workshop
on innovative methodologies for measuring
employment effects of value chain restructuring
13-14 March 2008 HIVA - K.U. Leuven - Belgium
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Theoretical framework
Economic globalisation

• Decentralisation of activities
• - geographical
• - organisational

• Centralisation of activities
• - geographical
• - organisational

• Emergence of global value chains
• -gt processes of restructuring of global value
  chains

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Employment consequences
One of the major consequences of GVC
restucturing shifts in employment
Research since 1980ies - estimation of
joblosses due to offshoring of production
activities

• Recent research
• employment effects of
• relocation of service activities
• reallocation of jobs between sectors, between
  firms
• corporate restructuring

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Employment consequences
Divergence of methods

• Convergence on methodological difficulties

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Overview of presentations
Existing datasources
1. Yvonne Wolfmayr (Austrian Institute of
Economic Research) macro-economic data effects of
international outsourcing of intermediate goods
and services
2. Mauro Pisu (National Bank of Belgium) firm
level data job creation and destruction linked to
international trade involvement
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Overview of presentations
Existing datasources
3. Donald Storrie (European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working
Conditions) European Restructuring Monitor gt
employment effects of offshoring of
activities European Employment Monitor
4. Christian Buelens (DG Economic and Financial
Affairs) Mergers Acquisitions database sectoral
overview of recent trends
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Business functions
Concept of business function in global value
chain research Restructuring affects only a
specific set of activities unit of analysis
gt sector? firm? gt business function
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Overview of presentations
Measuring employment in business functions
1. Karen Geurts (HIVA) existing data EU Labour
Force Survey identification of business functions
and employment shifts in business functions
2. Sharon Brown (Bureau of Labor
Statistics) Implemention of business functions
processes in Mass Layoff Statistics
program Development of classification of business
functions
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Overview of presentations
Measuring employment in business functions
3. European International sourcing
project development of new employer
survey international sourcing strategies and job
relocation in business functions
European perspective Pekka Alajääskö
(Eurostat) National perspectives Peter Boegh
Nielsen (Statistics Denmark) Samuli Rikama
(Statistics Finland) Gusta van Gessel Mark
Vancauteren (Statistics Netherlands)
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Overview of presentations
Measuring employment in business functions
4. Julia Lane (National Science
Foundation) Globalisation module to National
Organisation Survey employees in business
functions
Future methods
Stefan Bender (Institute for Employment
Research) COST Action Comparative analysis of
enterprise data industry dynamics, firm
perfomance, and worker outcomes
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Aim of workshop

• Presentation of new methods, techniques, and
  databases
• Discussion of different approaches, definition
  issues, methodological restraints,
• Possibilities for future international
  collaboration

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Information

• http//www.worksproject.be/WP15_expert_workshop.ht
  m
• username wp15workshop
• password 20080313
• Background papers, power point presentations,
• summary of the workshop presentations