Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation,
Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies

Abstract: This paper presents new insights into the relationship between innovation and employment in low-income countries. We use firm-level data sourced from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (ES) and focus on six sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies over the period 2003-2019. The econometric results from difference-in-differences (DiD) estimations, in conjunction with propensity score matching show a positive influence of product innovation on both permanent and total firm-level employment. The evidence for employment impact of process innovations is weak. Considering relations between firms, we find a positive intra-industry spillover effect from both product and process innovation on employment in firms operating within the same two-digit industry, while the results for inter-industry spillovers are non-significant or negative.

Keywords: Innovation; Employment; Sub-Saharan; Spillover effects; DID; Matching approach

JEL-codes: J20; O30

Language: English

28 pages, February 21, 2024

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