In The News

The Road Not Taken

March 20, 2009
The ability of workers to move for jobs, both inside a country and out, promotes business flexibility, the best use of skills and individual prosperity. But home ownership and a lack of universal health insurance have reduced mobility in the US, reports the Economist. People typically escape bad circumstances by moving to new locations, but Americans are trapped in overpriced homes and fear...

A Global Retreat as Economies Dry Up

Anthony Faiola March 18, 2009
The countries and ports that benefited most from a rapid rise in global trade now feel the most pain from an economic slowdown. In an article for the Washington Post, Anthony Faiola emphasizes the speed of the economic reversal: Freighters and containers of unwanted goods wait in ports, and workers, including educated financiers and poor immigrants, return to home countries to rethink future...

Workers Without Borders

Jennifer Gordon March 12, 2009
Laws on immigration are weak obstacles against the companies tempted by cheap labor or workers desperate for a better life. Attempting strict limits, imposing a fear of deportation and an unwillingness to report unfair conditions, the US system depresses wages and work conditions for all workers – citizens and legal and illegal immigrants alike – argues law professor Jennifer Gordon in an opinion...

Despite Rhetoric, Offshoring Won’t Stop

Dinesh C. Sharma March 9, 2009
As economic crisis sweeps the globe, citizens expect their political leaders to create jobs, but it leads to other problems in the process. For example, in the US, President Barack Obama has vowed to end “tax breaks” for companies that ship jobs overseas, causing consternation among some in the Indian IT industry. Indian IT provides services to financial, banking and insurance firms around the...

Why Skilled Immigrants Are Leaving the U.S.

Vivek Wadhwa March 3, 2009
One of the reasons for success of the US economy as the world’s engine of innovation and growth has been its ability to attract talents from abroad. But thanks to contentious changes in the US immigration policy, especially a temporary worker visa program known as H-1B, it is no longer the land of opportunity. There are indications that immigrants, unsuccessful at obtaining the right to stay and...

Job Losses Pose a Threat to Stability Worldwide

Nelson D. Schwartz February 19, 2009
Jobs vanish around the globe as people worry more and countries struggle to enact policies to stabilize local economies. A UN agency estimates that job losses could total 50 million by the end of 2009, reports Nelson Schwartz for the New York Times. Many jobseekers could be bitter and prepared to protest and seek new political leaders. Economic instability has replaced terrorism as the biggest...

The Reverse Swing

Nayan Chanda February 16, 2009
Migration is a major force of globalization: Workers on the move seek opportunity and alleviate poverty in the process of dispersing and collecting new ideas. A harsh global economic recession has reduced opportunities for foreign and domestic labor alike, stirred protectionist instincts and prompted reverse migration around the globe. The most immediate impact, explains YaleGlobal editor Nayan...