Publication Number: 3540

Report Title: International Economic Review: Import Restraints: Special Focus on Labor Transitions

Author's name(s): Michael J. Ferrantino

Date Published: August 2002

Report Description/Introductory Text: According to “Import Restraints: Special Focus on Labor Transitions,” if all significant U.S. import restraints had been removed unilaterally in 1999, an estimated 175,000 workers would have lost jobs–in particular in the textile and apparel sector. On average, such displaced workers would be likely–relative to other displaced workers—to experience longer spells of unemployment but receive modestly higher wages once re-employed in new jobs. They would likely be concentrated in the Southeast United States—in particular the Carolinas—and would more likely be female, older, less educated, minority group members, and less likely to relocate after displacement. Worker characteristics, more than type of industry, may account more for differences in experiences following this displacement.

Topics Covered: USITC, displaced workers, unemployment, import restraints, Free Trade Association of the Americas (FTAA), NAFTA, Displaced Workers Survey

Countries: United States

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