Integration in Global Value Chains and Employment

The chapter selectively reviews the theoretical and empirical literatures on the potential sources of countries’ asymmetries in their integration in global value chains (GVCs), with the aim of identifying the effects of such processes on the dynamics and composition of employment. We consider asymmetries related to the positioning of countries in: (i) the new international division of labor; (ii) the global technology landscape; and (iii) their initial production and employment structure. We conclude by proposing avenues of research to account for the complex factors that affect how countries position within GVCs and what are the opportunities for technological, functional, and employment upgrading.