compared with the rest of the world the united states is abundantly endowed with highly skilled labor and that low-skilled labor is correspondingly scarce. this means that international trade tends to make low-skilled workers in the united states worse off-not just temporarily, but on a sustained basis. the negative effect of trade on low-skilled workers poses a persistent political problem. industries that use low-skilled labor intensively, such as apparel and shoes, consistently demand protection from foreign competition.