Innovation and employment : a firm level analysis with European R&D scoreboard data

In this article, we analyse the microeconomic relationship between innovation and employment, using company data from the R&D Scoreboard for Europe covering 2000-2008. A reduced form labour demand equation is estimated. In the equation, R&D can account for both product and process innovation. The existence of non constant elasticities is assessed, due to the combination of efficient scale and decreasing return to R&D: in our empirical estimates the scale effect tends to prevail for a given R&D intensity generating an increasing relationship between total turnover and employment. The results have important implications for policymakers: R&D and innovation supporting policies should be correctly tailored and monitored since the results depend on the characteristics of the firms benefited. By the same token, calibration of general equilibrium models aimed at quantifying the employment impact of R&D and innovation policies should take into account that an aggregate constant elasticity can be a very rough approximation. Our results suggest that R&D and innovation policies tailored towards favouring entry of knowledge intensive firms can promote job growth.