Shandre Thangavelu: This is an interesting study that examines the employment effects of exports in China, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea using the World Input–Output Database for the period from 1995 to 2009. In addition, the paper also examines the linkages between export-oriented and non–export-oriented industries and the effects of exports on employment. The study highlights the fact that nearly 80 percent of the exports of these countries are from manufactured industries; nevertheless, there are still strong employment effects on non-export industries as they still rely on the exports sector through vertical inter-industry linkages. The key implication of the result is that significant proportions of the industries rely on export of final goods, although they are linked through the intermediate production value-chain. In particular, nearly 40 to 60 percent of the employment creation in the non-export industries is driven by the implied exports of the final goods.
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