How to Improve Fair Trade: #7

7. Equal employment opportunities are provided for all

This principle sounds good though I don’t understand how employment opportunities can just be provided.  A producer offers a job to someone when there is work to be done.  It would be silly if a small coffee farmer had to provide jobs to a bunch of CEOs when they are completely unnecessary to his workplace.  On top of this, many jobs are very specialized and require people with the requisite skill set, talent and information are spread amongst the diversity of all of the people in the global village. 

Does this mean that an NFL Football team should provide employment for Chinese and Polish to an equal extent that it provides employment for African Americans?  Should a feminist organization hire an equal number of men and women?  Should a small family business hire an equal number of people from outside of the family?  Should a business in San Francisco also provide opportunities for people who choose to live in New Mexico?  Should low-income producers provide work for high-income workers?  Should an organization like Global Exchange provide work for those who think the oil industry has been extremely beneficial to society to the same extent as those who think it has not?

It is important that people have an equal opportunity to try to get the available jobs, but one cannot just assume jobs will be provided to all.  It is unfair to ask producers to provide employment to people that don’t improve their business.