Foreign Multinationals and Head Office Employment in Canadian Manufacturing Firms

Abstract

This paper examines head office employment in the Canadian manufacturing sector. It focuses on the characteristics that are related to the creation of a head office and the amount of employment in that head office. Among the characteristics investigated are firm size, number of plants, industrial diversity, geographical location, industry and nationality. The paper finds that foreign-owned firms are more likely to create a head office and to create more employment in their head offices than are domestic-controlled firms, after controlling for firm characteristics. It also finds that head office creation and employment levels are associated with a firm's level of complexity (e.g., its size) and how it organises its production geographically.

Keywords: head office employment, foreign control, manufacturing, location theory

JEL Classification: R3, F23, L23, L25