Delocation in the manufacturing sectors in the EU. A regional overview

Abstract

The question of delocation in main industrial regions across the EU is approached here, and its effects on job losses estimated. Seventy five regions are selected following the double criteria of size of the manufacturing industries and high per capita income levels. Delocation affected half of them in the period 2000-2005 when competition in the international markets rose and is of higher intensity in most of the British, French and Italian regions although its aggregate effect on employment seems to have been offset by growth in the other sectors. On the other hand, regions located in the continental area with more market potential have the highest concentration of location effects. Therefore delocation has changed the location of European manufacturing industry, benefitting those latter regions and perhaps bringing higher spatial concentration.

En este trabajo se evalúa la incidencia de la deslocalización, en términos de empleo afectado, en las principales regiones industriales de la Unión Europea, confrontando lo ocurrido en cada una de ellas con lo acontecido en el plano nacional. Los resultados obtenidos, relativos al periodo 2000-2005, muestran que los efectos de deslocalización han sido especialmente intensos en regiones situadas en Francia, Reino Unido e Italia, en tanto que las regiones finesas y algunas de las alemanas y holandesas son las que presentan efectos de localización de mayor magnitud.