For example, Cijvat cites the fears of loss of jobs. It is true that during the '90s, manufacturing jobs have declined from 19 million to 18 million. In the same period, however, the total number of jobs has increased from 117 million to 134 million. Additionally, the overall unemployment rate declined from 5.3 percent to 4.2 percent. Globalization has increased greatly since World War II and the percent of American families living in poverty has declined from more than 50 percent to less than 20 percent.
All economic studies show that foreign trade growth helps to reduce poverty worldwide.
Some of the credit for poverty reduction should go to trade expansion. What is required is balanced consideration of how best to achieve the benefits of trade while at the same time minimizing the negative effects. Within this context, further progress toward poverty reduction requires, in part, continued globalization.