Labor and the American Workforce

The demographic trends inside so-called NAFTA-land (Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.) are very encouraging, according to labor expert and political economist Nicholas Eberstadt. Where the American labor force may run into trouble, Eberstadt believes, is through President-elect Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports. Eberstadt cautions the incoming administration against participating in trade wars, where the U.S. would be at risk of losing more than a million low-skill labor jobs.

 

“NAFTA-land, in twenty years, will be a much more youthful area than China.”

 

About Nicholas Eberstadt

Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt is the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. His research areas include: economic development, foreign aid, and international security. Eberstadt has written extensively; his 20-plus books and monographs include Poverty in China and Fertility Decline in the Muslim World. Eberstadt holds an AB (Magna Cum Laude), MPA, and PhD from Harvard University as well as an MSc from the London School of Economics. Eberstadt also serves as a senior advisor to the National Bureau of Asian Research along with a number of other U.S. government organizations. In 2012, Eberstadt was awarded the Bradley Prize. He is currently a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel for AXA Insurance in Paris.