Which term describes the transfer of some types of jobs, especially those requiring low-paid, less skilled workers, from more developed countries to less developed countries?

• A. New International Division of Labor
• B. Outsourcing
• C. Globalization
• D. Post-Fordist Production

Answer: (A)

The pattern being described is the New International Division of Labor. This idea describes how production is broken into steps that are geographically separated, with labor-intensive, low-wage tasks moved from wealthier, developed countries to less developed regions where costs are lower. It explains why many manufacturing and assembly jobs end up in countries with cheaper labor, while higher-value activities like design, management, and research remain in the developed countries. This shift is a hallmark of global production networks and is driven by cost differentials and the search for efficiency.

Outsourcing is about contracting out tasks to external firms and can happen within a country or across borders, but it doesn’t by itself specify the broader pattern of relocating entire types of jobs to poorer regions. Globalization refers to the overall process of increasing global connectedness and integration, which enables the division of labor internationally but doesn’t name the specific transfer of job types. Post-Fordist Production describes flexible organizational methods within firms, not the international relocation of labor.