Concept
Why do people fear trade and globalization?
IntroductionToBusiness OP 8D04gAa / 3.2. Why Nations Trade*
"The continued protests during meetings of the World Trade Organization and the protests during the convocations of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (the three organizations are discussed later in the chapter) show that many people fear world trade and globalization. What do they fear? The negatives of global trade are as follows: • Millions of Americans have lost jobs due to imports or production shifting abroad. Most find new jobs, but often those jobs pay less. • Millions of others fear losing their jobs, especially at those companies operating under competitive pressure. • Employers often threaten to export jobs if workers do not accept pay cuts. • Service and white-collar jobs are increasingly vulnerable to operations moving offshore. Sending domestic jobs to another country is called outsourcing, a topic you can explore in more depth. Many U.S. companies, such as Dell, IBM, and AT&T, have set up call service centers in India, the Philippines, and other countries. Now even engineering and research and development jobs are being outsourced. Outsourcing and “American jobs” were a big part of the 2016 presidential election with Carrier’s plan to close a plant in Indianapolis and open a new plant in Mexico. While intervention by President Trump did lead to 800 jobs remaining in Indianapolis, Carrier informed the state of Indiana that it will cut 632 workers from its Indianapolis factory. The manufacturing jobs will move to Monterrey, Mexico, where the minimum wage is $3.90 per day. So is outsourcing good or bad? If you happen to lose your job, it’s obviously bad for you."
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