Corporations invest their foreign capital in developing nations who sustain incredible rates of growth. For example, in Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the welathy private sector is highly consumptive while the working and lower classes are devastated. It is ridiculous for an industrialized nationa with protective economic measures to compete with a newly industrialized nation which has none. Developing nations are the only ones in the world who do not regulate their market economies against huge discrepancies in distributuion. The working class is constantly at risk of either losing their jobs or losing their benefits.
Technological advances make it possible to hire fewer workers and maintain or increase profit.
Most people work more that 40 hours per week to meet the living wage, the amount of money necessary to survive. But this is not happening because these corporations are keeping the profits for themselves and for their shareholders. This is why they have no money to fund social programs, which are so important when the market fails. Becoming educated is the most important first step. Alternative solutions do exist.