CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

Sure, some people will be displaced by the churning from global trade liberalization. But this is so they can be reallocated to more productive, higher-value endeavors where they will increase economic welfare and making everyone better off. Right?

That's not what the Bureau of Labor Statistics seems to be saying in their Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is nothing new--just happened to be poking through the webiste this afternoon.



Retail sales, customer service reps (highly outsourcable), food prep and fast food workers, cashiers, janitors, waiters, orderlies, receptionists, security guards, home care providers, landscapers...not exactly high wage, skill-intensive, upwardly mobile occupations.

Viva comparative advantage!