Paula Dwyer , Columnist

How Trump Can Help Cure the Blue-Collar Blues

If he wants to pressure U.S. companies, he can push them for plans to retrain their work forces.

December 8, 2016 at 2:00 PM UTC

Paula Dwyer is a senior editor with the New York editing hub, focusing on daily and long-form enterprise. She was London bureau chief for Businessweek and Washington economics editor for the New York Times, and is a co-author of “Take on the Street: How to Fight for Your Financial Future.

Wanted: more brain, less muscle.
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If Donald Trump is serious about helping the blue-collar workers who helped put him in the White House, how should he proceed?

Jawboning Carrier Corp., Ford Motor Co. and others into keeping jobs from moving to Mexico isn't the answer. Employers who meet Trump's demands will quickly find that their labor costs and product prices are higher than those of their competitors. Ultimately, they will have no choice but to move jobs offshore or to use robots.