## Trade, Labor, and Trust

_IMF Blog, February 24, 2017_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Trade, Labor, and Trust](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/02/24/trade-labor-and-trust)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: iMFdirect
- Published: February 24, 2017

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### Overview
- Publication: iMFdirect
- Date: February 24, 2017
- Format: Blog post / podcast featuring Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
- Central theme: The distributional challenges of growth, the relationship between trade/globalization and labor, and the implications for trust in institutions and democracy

### Key findings and observations
- The global workforce comprises "3 billion people"—the current economic model is described as "stagnating" for this population.
- Even where there is growth, it is "certainly not delivering jobs," with particular vulnerability for "women and young people."
- Trade and globalization are supported by Burrow, but she contends they have been "built on a low wage, labor arbitrage system" that has produced "insecure and unsafe work."
- Women's workforce participation, which "after having grown significantly in recent years—has come to a near halt," a development Burrow identifies as counter-productive.

### Notable quotes
- “If we’re fighting each other because we can’t design a system that actually works for everybody, then working people will again continue to mistrust our institutions, and the threat to democracy is very real; you see it.”
- “The two most significant areas of growth for jobs is investment in infrastructure, and for immediate productivity gains—it’s women’s participation in work.”

### Policy implications and priorities highlighted
- Collective action is needed to better distribute the benefits of growth.
- Support for trade and globalization should be paired with reforms addressing the low wage, labor arbitrage system and the prevalence of insecure and unsafe work.
- Increasing women's participation in the workforce is presented as a key avenue for immediate productivity gains.
- Investment in infrastructure is identified as a major area for job growth.

*Source: iMFdirect blog post, February 24, 2017.*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/02/24/trade-labor-and-trust_