Relative Wage Variation and Industry Location

Abstract

Relative wages vary considerably across regions of the United Kingdom, with skill-abundantregions exhibiting lower skill premia than skill-scarce regions. This paper shows that thelocation of economic activity is correlated with the variation in relative wages. U.K. regionswith low skill premia produce different sets of manufacturing industries than regions withhigh skill premia. Relative wages are also linked to subsequent economic development: overtime, increases in the employment share of skill- intensive industries are greater in regionswith lower initial skill premia. Both results suggest firms adjust production across and withinregions in response to relative wage differences.Deindustrialization, Relative Factor Prices, Diversification Cones