Answer:
a. The correct option is that U.S. manufacturers can possibly compete if U.S. workers are more productive.
b. The correct option is that all manufacturing is not done in Mexico and other low-wage countries because of trade barriers.
Explanation:
a. U.S. manufacturers can possibly compete if
A worker or labor is said to be more productive if it produces or able to produce larger amounts of goods than the other workers or labors.
If the U.S. workers are more productive than the workers in Mexico, the labor cost per unit of goods produced in the US will be lower than the labor cost per unit of goods in Mexico.
Therefore, the correct option is that U.S. manufacturers can possibly compete if U.S. workers are more productive.
b. All manufacturing is not done in Mexico and other low-wage countries because
Trade barriers are restrictions on international trade imposed by the government.
When a country imposes trade barriers, some goods will not be imported into that country even if they are cheaper in terms of average compensation per hour for manufacturing workers than the locally produced goods. As a result, some of the goods have to be manufactured in the country where average compensation per hour for manufacturing workers is the highest.
Therefore, the correct option is that all manufacturing is not done in Mexico and other low-wage countries because of trade barriers.
