The growth in wage rates for difficult-to-replace professions is also driving up training and education in nursing and medicine, in part driven by the demographic bubble occurring in the U.S., in part driven by the high turn-over of nurses who exit the workforce due to retirement. The fact that wages are increasing in these acute shortage areas are also driving up the supply of labor, as workers migrate away from slower-growing professions into these of higher growth with unmet needs for workers. The combined effects of immigration and higher wage rates in those professions with the largest unmet needs drives up the supply of labor significantly. In summary, both the increase in the supply and demand of labor is being driven by global economics and the unmet needs for specific types of professionals throughout different nations. An example of these professions includes nursing, computer programming and systems analysis, and specific medical fields as well. Wage increases are also forcing a re-distribution of labor from consolidating and shrinking industries to those expanding, in need of new workers.

The bottom line is that globalization is having a pervasive effect both on increasing the demand, supply and distribution of workers to industries where demand for their specific skills is greatest.

Why do our political leaders favor exports of U.S. goods and "buy American" policies?

Politicians continue to advocate exporting U.S. goods and "buy American" programs first due to many of them having large manufacturing bases in their districts and states they represent, and therefore are looking to promote the economic interests of their constituents.

The exporting of American products also reduces the nation's balance of trade in a broader macroeconomic sense, and also leads to a stronger U.S. dollar against other currencies. For those politicians...

where traditional manufacturing has been hard hit by the migration of manufacturing offshore to China and other Asian nations, the need for keeping jobs alive in their represented districts and states is critical. Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania form the majority of the rust belt, and in the congressional districts and states the focus on retaining American manufacturing by relaxing export tariffs for certain goods, working globally with foreign nations to reduce their tariffs for U.S.-manufactured goods, all of which percolates down to the fate of the American manufacturing worker and their job.
Politicians are more transparent in their voting records, comments, and actions than ever before, and as a result they must be continually pushing the political and economic agenda of their constituents if they are to be seen as effective. This is certainly the case for congressmen and senators from the rust belt states, yet it applies across the entire U.S. The dynamics of how the exporting of U.S. goods and "buy American" programs work is exemplified in the rejuvenation of American-based steel manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio is a case in point and specifically shows how a group fo congressmen representing this city worked with both congressional leaders, the President, and foreign trade officials to open the market in Japan and China for American steel. The global shortage of steel precipitated increasing the production of steel mills throughout the U.S. To levels not seen since the 1970s in order to meet global demand.

In summary, the role of politicians in stressing the export of American products and "Buy American" have had an impact on increasing the ability of the U.S. To compete globally. Ultimately it is their job to help to promote the jobs and economic livelihoods of their constituents not just locally, but globally today.