Workers' Views of the Impact of Trade on Jobs

Abstract

Although public policy is influenced by the perception that workers worry about the impact of trade on their jobs, there is little empirical evidence on what shapes such views. This paper uses new data to examine how workers' perceptions of the impact of trade are related to their career paths, job characteristics, and local labor market conditions. Surprisingly, given prior literature, we find that workers' perceptions primarily reflect local labor market conditions and education rather than labor market experiences or job characteristics.

Keywords: globalization, trade, job characteristics, local labor markets, job loss, job security

JEL Classification: J21, J08