In this paper, we analyse the role of skilled migrant workers holding managing and expert positions in the effective transfer of technology by multinational enterprises (MNEs) to their local affiliates. In the context of multiple treatments, i.e. foreign ownership and skilled migrant worker appointment, and based on propensity score matching and the difference-in-differences approach for matched employer–employee Slovenian firm level data for the 2002–2010 period, it is established that foreign-owned firms which, along with foreign direct capital inflow (FDI), appoint foreign skilled workers to managing or expert positions indeed perform better in TFP growth terms than firms that only experience FDI. The results are even more robust and significant where FDI activity is followed by the employment of a parent-country-national (PCN) manager, suggesting that expat managers play a key role in effectively transferring knowledge within MNEs. PCN managers and foreign experts appear to be crucial in explaining the productivity advantage over the domestic counterparts, with the former having a more immediate effect and the latter becoming important over a longer time. In contrast, no evidence was found regarding the technology transfer associated with either direct capital inflow alone or in connection with the employment of foreign unskilled workers.

中文翻译：

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技术移民工人在与外国直接投资有关的技术转让中的作用

在本文中，我们分析了拥有管理职位和专家职位的技术移民工人在跨国企业（MNE）向其当地分支机构有效转让技术方面的作用。在多种处理的背景下，即外国所有权和熟练的移徙工人任命，并基于倾向得分匹配和匹配的雇主-雇员斯洛文尼亚公司2002-2010年期间数据的差异差异方法，可以确定与TFP增长相比，外国公司与外国直接资本流入（FDI）共同指定外国技术工人担任管理或专家职位的确比仅经历FDI的公司表现更好。在外国直接投资活动紧随其后的是雇用母国国民（PCN）经理的情况下，结果将更加强大和显着，这表明，外籍经理在跨国企业内部有效转移知识方面发挥着关键作用。PCN经理和外国专家在解释生产率相对于国内同行的优势方面似乎至关重要，前者的影响更为直接，而后者则需要更长的时间。相反，没有发现有关与直接资本流入或与雇用外国非技术工人有关的技术转让的证据。