A recent study by economists at Northwestern University and UCLA researched the wage and employment effects of economic consolidation in the hospital industry across the United States. The authors looked at three distinct groups of workers:

i. Unskilled workers whose occupations are not constricted to the health care industry, such as custodial and cafeteria workers ii. Skilled workers whose skills are not specific to the industry, such as human resources personnel and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliance officers iii. Skilled health care professionals such as nurses or pharmacy workers Which group of workers do you think was most affected by the consolidations? Why?