- Is the American Middle Class Losing Out to China and India? "We estimate that occupation switching due to trade led to real wage losses of 12 to 17 percent." For those American workers who have been battered by foreign competition, the possibility of a prolonged free fall cannot be discounted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/opinion/edsall-is-the-american-middle-class-losing-out-to-china-and-india.html?smid=re-share 4 comments economy