Trade Agreement with Korea may Impact Workers

 NAFTA might seem like a long time ago, but it opened up a precedent of trade policy that changed conditions for laborers and the environment. Trade agreements such as this can impact everything from the levels of toxicity in the ocean to the everyday safety in a factory. Currently, another pact is in the works between Korea and the United States. President Obama is urging Congress to revisit the trade agreement President Bush introduced to Congress.

Recruiters may wish to follow this issue, as critics such as Global Trade Watch suggest that this deal would be the end of many jobs in the United States. So often, the offshoring of American jobs is understood as written history; however, when deals such as this one with Korea are in the works, who shall pause to remember the American worker? The new Congress is expected to debate the benefits and pitfalls of this new policy. International trade agreements have particular ramifications to the industries most highly concentrated in the countries of concern. For example, the highest impact of this treaty may perhaps be the auto industry and certain specialized manufacturing. If you are planning workforce issues for these industries, the news item may be of particular note to you.