The present publication corresponds to my research thesis carried out to obtain the degree of Master in Economic Sciences at the National University of Colombia, where an analysis of the causal relationship between labor productivity and exports in the Colombian manufacturing sector for the period 2005-2015 was carried out, where the self-selection and learning by exporting hypotheses that describe this relationship were analyzed. The objective of the research is to obtain empirical evidence that argues the positive impact of exports on the increase in labor productivity levels through the implementation of a panel data model with the available microdata for the Colombian manufacturing sector in the described period. The results obtained show significant evidence that argues for the self-selection effect of exporting firms, where only those firms with better productivity indices are able to face the entry costs present in the international market. Finally, recommendations are made for the generation of policies focused on the diversification of the export supply.