In order to get some perspective on Kletzer’s estimate of trade-induced job loss, then, we should compare it to the number of workers who are displaced each year in the United States for all reasons, including firm or plant closings, corporate restructuring, automation, or the ending of fixed-term employment.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over the past ten years, gross job losses in the United States have averaged about 7.7 million jobs per quarter.4 Multiplying 7.7 million by four suggests that about 31 million U.S. jobs are eliminated each year.