The most recent taxes, which are set to go into effect on April 2, by US President Donald Trump, are a new wave of economic nationalism, aimed at goods of titanium, aluminum, cars, and other products.
The White House sees it as a step toward bilateral trade, a raise for US manufacturing, and the expansion of blue-collar employment. In actuality, there are rising costs for businesses, rising inflation threat, and growing international trade war risks.
America’s best trading partners, Mexico, Canada, and China have already launched counterretaliations, and economists warn that an even higher level of increase could cause the US to go into recession. Tariffs remain Washington’s instinctive reaction to business drop despite mounting proof that protectionism does little to recover lost jobs.
The real issue is not with work moving abroad; rather, there are too few American workers with credentials for those that do. There are 8 million job openings in the US, but 6.8 million of those are unemployed, a clear disconnect between desire and knowledge. Taxes hasn’t close the gap. A workplace that is prepared for the jobs to come can.
Skills lacked alignment
Second, academic achievement has become the key distinction between economic insecurity and work. As of January 2025, high school graduates without a college had a unemployment rate of 4.5 %, nearly twice the rate of 2.3 % for those with bachelor’s degrees or higher.
People without postsecondary learning find themselves left behind in an economy that extremely rewards technical expertise. Globalization may have eroded the American business center, but those affected employees even lost out due to a lack of education that has failed to prepare them for the vocations of contemporary business.
Next, rapid technological advancement has a part of talent instability. By 2030, 39 % of the world’s workforce will be obsolete or transformed, according to the” Future of Jobs” report from the World Economic Forum.
The expertise needed to succeed in business change significantly as they evolve. Building, logistics, and healthcare are the industries in high demand that demand specialized knowledge that cannot be acquired with a basic high school education or a public college degree.
Third, manufacturing itself has changed beyond recognition. These jobs are not the assembly-line work of the past, despite the 490, 000 job opportunities in the field as of April 2024. Instead, contemporary factories demand advanced skills in robotics, CNC machining, professional technology, and high-precision soldering.
The opulent image of a workplace that leaves the shop floor in droves is essentially inconsistent with the reality that today’s manufacturing jobs call for mechanical, electrical, and online skills. No matter how large tariffs are raised, a high school graduate without specific vocational training cannot just enter one of these positions.
When President Trump first imposed broad-based taxes under his administration, they didn’t bring up work; instead, they raised costs for both businesses and consumers. Instead of reaping any benefits, American manufacturers paid more for aluminum and steel, which led to technology, rate increases, and ultimately job losses.
Reshoring production, to be honest, is more about employment than jobs. National security, modern leadership, and supply chain resilience are the topics. The US is create everything from military equipment to semiconductors thanks to its strong business base. The infrastructure bill, which was introduced under Trump’s father, and the CHIPS Act were intended to lay the groundwork for this work.
But, tariffs have fallen short as a tool for creating jobs. According to a 2019 Federal Reserve study, President Trump’s taxes forced businesses to reduce workforce and implement, costing the US 175, 000 work.
Another study from the Federal Reserve revealed that tariffs caused a 2.7 % decline in manufacturing jobs, while the Tax Foundation predicted that the Trump-Biden Section 301 and 232 tariffs may reduce GDP and cause the loss of 142, 000 full-time work.
According to a study conducted by the US-China Business Council, 245,000 work lost simply as a result of President Trump’s business plans. Tariffs even harm businesses that are hiring. For example, construction, which is in need of a 439, 000-worker lack in 2025, depends on cheap steel.
Failure to make an investment in the future
Two crucial areas need notice if Washington is severe about reviving blue-collar work.
Second, expanding workforce change and vocational training programs for Americans without conventional tech backgrounds might have significant economic benefits. Step IT Up, a US Department of Labor-registered internship program designed to quickly transition employees without any previous IT knowledge into full-time software positions, is a striking design.
Step IT Up, which was first introduced in the US and later adopted in Singapore by online services consultancy Temus, has already hired over 5, 000 people from all over the world and has a remarkable record history.
Step IT Up adheres to a “hire, spot, and coach” model, which guarantees graduates a full-time tech position upon graduation and removes the uncertainty that frequently discourages employees from reskilling.
Beyond work security, there are other important economic advantages. Tech workers in the US makeapproximately 40 % more than the national median household income, while they in Singapore make approximately 50 % more.
These figures emphasize the economic flexibility that workforce conversion and organized vocational training can offer, making them effective tools for blue-collar workers looking to change into higher-paying, tech-enabled roles.
A organized, accelerated training approach, which equips employees with job-ready electronic skills without the need for a college degree, is what makes a system like Step IT Up particularly successful.
Washington may ensure that technology is more of a force of economic empowerment than a pressure of displacement by expanding workforce conversion initiatives like Step IT Up, particularly in manufacturing, construction, logistics, and different industries that have been transformed by digitalization.
Next, investing in infrastructure may provide a stronger foundation for the creation of jobs than protectionism could ever do. Bridges, dams, and other main water pipes are all over the nation, and dams, bridges, and roads are all in problems. The Baltimore Bridge decline, Interstate 95 losses, and growing airport delays all serve as examples of how neglected we are.
The American Society of Civil Engineers projects a$ 1.44 trillion shortfall in infrastructure funding by 2025, with only 56 % of necessary investments covered. Since 2016, there has been a$ 42 billion gap in flights only. China invested$ 8 trillion in infrastructure in a single year, but the US has allowed its foundation to collapse.
Equipment investment is an economical multiplier, which is even more important. If economic policy accommodates the fiscal boost, each$ 100 billion in infrastructure spending could increase employment growth by roughly 1 million full-time alternatives. Increased roads, ports, and electricity grids increase productivity, lower transportation costs, and boost competitiveness.
Overall, the issue isn’t so much that international rivals have squandered America’s industrial center and slain its jobs. The actual failure lies more with the abuse of the workers and infrastructure required to sustain the future industries.
Because American personnel demand higher pay and better working conditions than their counterparts in China or Vietnam, where production costs are only a fraction of those in the US, tariffs didn’t allow low-skill stock jobs to be reinstated.
Instead of pursuing an economy that America had previously grown, the focus should be on developing new industries that demand experienced labor, keeping work in line with the social and economic expectations of the American workforce today. Instead of restoring the prior, tomorrow’s work will be focused on reconstructing what will come next.
Marcus Loh serves as the director of Temus, a Singapore-based company that offers online transformation services, and is in charge of public affairs, marketing, and corporate communication. He was the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore’s former leader. Loh currently serves on SG Tech’s executive council for the electronic conversion section, which is the largest trade association for Singapore’s tech sector.