• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Sandra Polaski"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Trade"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

Job Anxiety Is Real--and It's Global

Link Copied
By Ms. Sandra Polaski
Published on Apr 21, 2004

Source: Carnegie

These are not normal times. Two changes in the past decade have produced a huge global oversupply of labor and intense competition for an expanding array of jobs. First, the Cold War’s end threw millions of workers, who formerly produced only for the socialist bloc, onto the global labor market. And second, that market has become integrated by technological change that now permits outsourcing of service as well as manufacturing jobs. The current economic recovery will not solve the resulting global mismatch of supply and demand, and it cannot be addressed by the United States alone. Many current policies aggravate the problem. This paper proposes that the Unites States revise its policies and devote a concerted effort to get the major countries to work together to expand employment at that global level.

Click here for the full text of this Policy Brief.

Click here to read this Policy Brief in Chinese.

Some free print copies are available.
Request a copy

About the Author
Sandra Polaski
directs the Trade, Equity and Development Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She served as the U.S. Secretary of State’s special representative for international labor affairs from 1999–2002, playing a leading role in the development of U.S. government policy on international labor issues. Polaski’s research has included the impact of NAFTA on employment, wages and household incomes, published in the report NAFTA’s Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemisphere (Carnegie Endowment, 2003). She has also written extensively on trade, development and labor policy in essays including Trade and Labor Standards: A Strategy for Developing Countries (Carnegie Endowment, 2003) and How to Build a Better Trade Pact with Central America (Carnegie Endowment, July 2003).

About the Author

Ms. Sandra Polaski

Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program

Until April 2002, Polaski served as the U.S. Secretary of State’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, the senior State Department official dealing with such matters.

    Recent Work

  • Report
    Brazil in the Global Economy: Measuring the Gains From Trade
      • +4

      Ms. Sandra Polaski, Joaquim Bento de Souza Ferreir, Janine Berg, …

  • Article
    One Cheer for Global Trade Talks

      Ms. Sandra Polaski

Ms. Sandra Polaski
Former Senior Associate, Director, Trade, Equity and Development Program
Sandra Polaski
TradeUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is it NATO’s Job to Support Trump’s War of Choice?

    Donald Trump has demanded that European allies send ships to the Strait of Hormuz while his war of choice in Iran rages on. He has constantly berated NATO while the alliance’s secretary-general has emphatically supported him.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Is the Radical-Right Threat Existential or Overstated?

    Amid increased polarization and the influence of disinformation, radical-right parties are once again gaining traction across Europe. With landmark elections on the horizon in several countries, are the EU’s geostrategic vision and fundamental values under existential threat?

      Catherine Fieschi, Cas Mudde

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europe and the Arab Gulf Must Come Together

    The war in Iran proves the United States is now a destabilizing actor for Europe and the Arab Gulf. From protect their economies and energy supplies to safeguarding their territorial integrity, both regions have much to gain from forming a new kind of partnership together.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is France’s New Nuclear Doctrine Ambitious Enough?

    French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    The Iran War’s Dangerous Fallout for Europe

    The drone strike on the British air base in Akrotiri brings Europe’s proximity to the conflict in Iran into sharp relief. In the fog of war, old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean risk being reignited, and regional stakeholders must avoid escalation.

      Marc Pierini

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.