“Different influences”?

Question

Then trade would have different influence on wages and employment.

This is a line I am writing. I know that "influence" is both a count and noncount noun and that it is used mostly uncountably to refer to effects. But since I am talking about different kinds of influence, I am wondering if I should say:

Then trade would have different influences on wages and employment.

Answer 1

While the plural "influences" makes sense, it's an awkward sentence. Since your purpose is to make a distinction between the two influences, I prefer something like Tashus' phrasing:

The trade would have a different influence on wages than on employment.

or

The influence of the trade on wages would be different from its influence on employment.

These make clear both the meaning and intention of the sentence.

Answer 2

In this context you should use "influences". Trade has one influence on wages and another on employment. The use of the adjective "different" would not make sense with a singular "influence", as how can you draw a comparison if there are not two things to compare?