Trade in Services

Abstract

Trade in services differs from trade in physical goods. This article high- lights some effects of liberalization of trade in services, especially the effects of off-shoring. Many Western European companies settle new branches in Eastern European countries, and this process is known as «off-shoring». This is a new phenomenon discussed in the Western European press, particularly its effects on the labour market. But off-shoring does not only create unemployment in the country where branches were closed. Off-shoring can lead to adjusted wages in the off-shored-sector: after a decline of wages, they can rise again.