International trade in services and inequalities: empirical evaluation and role of tourism services

International audienceThis study investigates the impact of the international openness in tourism services trade on wage inequality between highly skilled, semiskilled and unskilled workers in the tourism industry. The sample covers 10 developed countries and expands over 15 years. A cointegrated panel data model and an Error Correction Model were used to distinguish between the short-and long-run effects. The results are compared to those of openness of business services and manufactured goods. The findings point out that tourism increases wage inequality at the expense of the least skilled workers in the long and the short-run. The results differ amongst countries