Investigating the Role of Capital Stock in Employment Creation and Increased Labor Demand in Iran's Industrial Sector

In order to allocate capital optimally and to achieve an appropriate level of employment, the manner and extent of impact of capital stock on employment creation should be investigated in different economic sectors. The paper aims to examine the effects of capital stock on employment in Iran’s industrial sector from 1980 to 2011, using a dynamic approach to demand for labor. In this regard, the demand for labor is estimated as a function of value added, wages, capital stock and labor productivity, using an autoregressive distributed lags model (ARDL).
The results indicate that capital stock has positive and significant effect on labor demand and employment across industries in both long-run and short-run, implying complementarity between capital and labor. According to the results of this research, granting more credits to the industrial sector, directing them to purchase new and highly advanced equipment and absorbing foreign investment will lead to create more jobs.