countries long distances away like China or Bangladesh. Competition from imported products is not the

primary determinant of their wages.

Finally, while the focus of the discussion here is on wages, it is worth pointing out that low-wage U.S. workers

suffer due to protectionism in all the industries—even those in which they do not work. For example, food and

clothing are protected industries. These low-wage workers therefore pay higher prices for these basic

necessities and as such their dollar stretches over fewer goods.

The benefits and costs of increased trade in terms of its effect on wages are not distributed evenly across the

economy. However, the growth of international trade has helped to raise the productivity of U.S. workers as a

whole—and thus helped to raise the average level of wages.

Labor Standards and Working Conditions

Workers in many low-income countries around the world labor under conditions that would be illegal for a
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