Foreign direct investment and search unemployment: Theory and evidence

Article history: Received 2 July 2012 Received in revised form 7 November 2013 Accepted 7 November 2013 Available online 22 November 2013 This paper proposes a simple multi-industry trade model with search frictions in the labor market. Unimpeded access to global financial markets enables capital owners to invest abroad, thereby fostering unemployment at the extensive industry margin. Whether a country benefits from foreign direct investments (FDI) in terms of unemployment depends on the respective country's net-FDI, measured as the difference between inand outward FDI. The link between FDI and unemployment derived in the model is tested using macroeconomic data for 19 OECD countries on unemployment, FDI, and labor market institutions. Results support the model in that net-FDI is robustly associated with lower rates of aggregate unemployment. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. JEL classification: F16 E24 J6 F21