Organizational capabilities, export growth and job creation: An investigation of Korean SMEs

In the new global economy, export promotion and job creation have become two central issues for economic sustainability. This study aims to raise awareness of the importance of organizational capabilities in job creation through exports. By emphasizing the role of exports in shaping a linkage between organizational capabilities and job creation, this research focuses on how to improve exports that benefit employment creation in the context of Korean small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using survey data of 414 SMEs collected by jointly working with the Korea Federation of SMEs and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, this study employs a structural equation model to investigate a mediation model that links organizational capabilities to job creation through export growth. The main findings of this study are that both technological and manufacturing capability positively influence export growth; export growth has a positive effect on job creation, fully mediates a positive linkage between technological capability and job creation and also plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between manufacturing capability and job creation. Finally, the present study contributes to the literature on exports and job creation and also provides useful information for SME operators and policymakers.