Does Globlization Threaten Low-Skilled Western Workers?

During the past two decades the economic position of low-skilled workers in Western countries has deteriorated sharply. In the USA this has taken the form of a huge drop in the real earnings of less-educated men, particularly young men. In much of Western Europe, it has taken the form of high rates of unemployment among less skilled and young workers. In the UK the relative earnings of the less skilled have fallen, though their real earnings have risen somewhat, but their unemployment is high. Over the same period trade has expanded, particularly with less-developed countries (LDCs), and immigration from LDCs has accelerated.