Q5 - Recently, highly skilled workers in Eastern Europe

[WaltGrace1983]

I love Eastern Europe. I just want to throw that out there. For anyone who thinks that Western Europe is better...you're wrong (thats logical, right? I'm gonna ace this test!). This is a weaken question.

Highly skilled workers in Eastern Europe have left jobs to emigrate West
→
Skilled workers who remain in Eastern Europe are in high demand in their home countries

So this argument is making a few assumptions: (1) It assumes that there already was not an overabundance of skilled workers to begin with. Maybe these highly skilled workers flooded the job market and over saturated it and, thus, when they left, more workers wouldn't really be in demand. (2) It also assumes that these workers are going to be replaced. Maybe the companies realized that they are better off without these workers and so they are just going to eliminate those jobs of the people that left. (3) It makes a small assumption about where these skilled workers are from. While the argument is saying that these workers will be in demand if they "remain" in Eastern Europe, it never mentions another about their "home countries." Thus, since the argument is concluding that these workers will be in high demand in their home countries, there could also be a correct answer saying something like, "Most of the skilled workers living in Eastern Europe now are from the United States, where which the job market is flooded with skilled workers."

(A) I think this is a tricky one. I thought it looked really good initially. However, "preferring" to hire workers from their home countries rather than importing workers actually seems to strengthen the argument a tiny bit. Sure, "preference" is not really indicative that there is "high demand" but it helps a tad. Either way, this answer choice absolutely does not weaken. We want an answer choice that says that these workers really still aren't in high demand.

(B) gives us this. This is very similar to what I predicted in (2). If workers are leaving but their jobs are going to be eliminated anyway, we start to have a little bit of doubt that there will be a "high demand" for new workers. Why would there be? Many positions are going to get eliminated! If there WAS a "high demand," there would be no need to eliminate these positions!

(C) We don't care about those expatriates that ditched their Eastern European homeland! We are care about those people that stayed!

(D) This actually strengthens a tiny bit because it shows a willingness for the Eastern Europeans to get back some skilled workers. If they plan to train them then we can assume that they need some more workers. If they need some more workers then I could safely say that there is some demand for workers!

(E) Also strengthens as tiny bit. These jobs are unfilled! Let's fill them!

[sarahv]

I understand why B is correct but I don't understand why C is incorrect. At first I chose C because I figured it implies that maybe those staying in the East aren't doing so because their skills are needed but because they know that the specific skills they have aren't needed in the West, and so they may as well save the trouble and not emigrate.

[MMeissner947]

I dont agree with WaltGrace's post about answer choice C. I interpreted the response as very relevant to the conclusion. To me, the conclusion is an explanation of why some skilled workers remained where they are when others have emigrated. The explanation is simply that those who have stayed did so because they were in high demand. Immediately I began to think, "well, perhaps they stayed for a different reason than being in high demand, such as not having resources to emigrate" and searched for an answer choice that reflected this thought. I believe C gives a reason without adding assumptions to the answer choice to make it work. C tells us that many emigrants need to acquire new skills in the West. This seems to be an obvious disincentive that could undermine the argument; those who stayed did not do so because they were in high demand, they stayed because they would have to acquire new skills in the west.
Of course, C is still not the credited response though, so I would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks

[AlexisE386]

I can see why (B) is correct, but I don't know why (D) is wrong.

if these countries can solve the labour shortage by training new workers, they don't need skilled workers who remain in Eastern Europe to fill these positions. as long as they can train enough new workers to do these jobs, the skilled workers will not be in high demand...

I am confused.