Who’s afraid of Virginia Wu? US employment footprints and self-sufficiency

Globalization has brought about concerns of domestic job losses due to outsourcing countries like China. The ‘employment footprint’ concept provides new insights into the implications trade for employment. Using this approach period 1995–2008, we analyze relation US jobs with international trade, particularly Furthermore, compare employment footprint its labor endowment assess if country could be self-sufficient in terms labor. We find that US’s consumption increasingly depends on foreign workers. ‘consumes’ more than is nationally available; thus, self-sufficiency not possible under realistic assumptions. Moreover, benefited from – especially services generated by world economy. Referring Albee’s famous play living illusions, use ‘Virginia Wu’ as a Chinese version Woolf’ argue perceived threat China (Virginia Wu) only an illusion.