E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Bobby Yip / Reuters file
Workers are seen inside a Foxconn factory in the township of Longhua in the southern Guangdong province, in 2010.
BEIJING—Last week, the New York Times published a report about working conditions at factories producing Apple products in China. Under the spotlight was Foxconn Technology, a key manufacturer for Apple and “China’s largest exporter and one of the nation’s biggest employers, with 1.2 million workers,” responsible for churning out tens of millions of iPhones and iPads sold around the world.
The article focused specifically on Foxconn’s Chengdu factory, where employees have complained about nonstop shifts, arduous overtime, crowded dormitories, mental health (nearly twenty workers at Foxconn have committed suicide over two years), and a hazardous working environment that's led to at least one explosion, in May 2011.
The New York Times report was also published in Chinese in the well-respected business and economic news weekly Caixin, where Chinese readers could post comments in response to the story.
Since it was released over the Lunar New Year festival, a week-long holiday which brings the country to a rare standstill, reaction seemed relatively muted. As we write this, there were 650 comments on Caixin’s Weibo page (a Twitter-like Chinese microblog)--compared to the 1,770 comments on the Times’ website.
A cynical reaction in China
On Caixin’s Weibo site, some of the comments condemned Apple’s corporate practices, but many also criticized the Chinese government for failing to protect its own citizens.
“Labor protection and social security is not only the responsibility of corporations. If the government had regulations and supervised the corporations, then they cannot be that irresponsible,” wrote one person.
A significant number also captured a sentiment that was cynical but perhaps very pragmatic of many Chinese:
“If they don’t work for Apple, those workers don’t have anywhere to shed their sweat and blood.”
“Why not kick Apple out? Tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs.“
“They are criticizing Apple only, because Apple is a huge target. The migrant workers hired by state-owned enterprises here can hardly be as good as Apple’s. Take care of your own workers before you pay attention to other people’s suppliers.”
All of which was bolstered by something this week that explains--in part--why the response in China might not be as outraged as those in the West might expect.
Workers want those jobs
On Monday, tens of thousands of people lined up outside a job agency to apply for an estimated 100,000 new jobs Foxconn is seeking to fill at its factory in Zhengzhou, the capital of central Henan province.
Foxconn wants to double its current workforce of 130,000 at the Zhengzhou plant, which it opened last year. The facility already churns out 200,000 iPhones a day and is part of Foxconn’s grand plan to make Zhengzhou the world’s largest smartphone manufacturing base.
The basic starting salary advertised--according to a report posted on M.I.C. Gadget, a blogsite about tech and other related matters in China—is 1,650 yuan a month ($261), which includes dorm housing and food.
The pay is lower than comparable salaries Foxconn pays workers at its Shenzhen factory in southern China. But that may be a sacrifice Henan workers are willing to make initially.
With a population in excess of 100 million, Henan is China’s most populous province. A fifth of them are migrant workers who travel widely to find jobs in the country’s more prosperous regions like the south or coast.
With additional reporting from Bo Gu.
Leave a Comment:
Coming to a town near you.
Americans know how conditions are in China. They know Apple has its production there to save on labor costs. Still though they buy I-phones, I-pads, and I-pods.
People in OWS want to fight against Corporate greed, yet they are the ones with all these I-devices. If people want to bring work back to the US and make a stand for the working conditions in China this is a good place to start. Stop buying I-phones, I-pads, and anything else made by apple. Once you bring one company to heel, move on to the next.
Vandilizing private and public property is not the way to cause a shift in how business is done on the international level. Purchasing power is how to institute changes in business.
clean your house first before you tell everybody else to clean theirs.
Tarp, you don't know anything about Glory's house... Although it's difficult to stop buying "made in china" the citizens could boycott Apple and make a very good point to other companies who are raping the people of China. I have a Motorola Android phone which I"m sure is made in China but, I'd be willing to dump it in a concerted effort to make a point.
I think the point is that it is ridiculous to attach farming industry out to sweatshops in China to some political party or movement. Your (yes you, whoever you are) favorite political party/candidate is as much at fault. Just like your favorite tech company is. Yes, Microsoft. Yes, Intel. Yes, etc.
Sorry to burst the little people's bubble who like to place black hats on heads and point. There's no saints.
Corporations have no moral obligation unlike real people. Corporations exist to make money. Why are we always surprised at the length they go to to achieve this single-minded goal? You as a consumer can vote with your wallet. If you deny corporations your hard earned bucks, they will do whatever it takes to make money again.
Gloryhound-848713 - well said totally agree - funny thing the average guy does not know how much power they have - they can choose what they buy and who to vote - make those entities accountable to you and your values and spread the word!!!
The problem is that lazy Americans have unreasonable expectations for things like not dying on the job. When Americans are willing to toil for the betterment of the corporation with none of these selfish demands for safe working conditions and less than 26 hour workdays, perhaps they will be able to compete in the global slave economy.
I hope the workers at least get a discount at the Apple stores. lol
We Americans can comment all we want about Apple knows this and Apple knows that about conditions in the Foxconn factories. But this latest article seems to indicate that as a whole, the Chinese labor force doesn't give a damn! It's like saying, "if the workers don't like it, let them quit so I can get the job." So it really is a Chinese cultural thing. The people in general don't care and the government sure isn't going to mess it up. So, as Paul Harvey would say, "Here's the rest of the story." So we Americans can quit our bitching and enjoy those gadgets made in China. Just don't buy the pure junk sold in retail stores like Walmart. These gadgets and electronics if made in the USA would more than double in price. We cannot overcome the apathy of the Chinese people.
To Gloryhouse: Apple products are not the only devices made in China. All electronics products, including ALL computers, laptops, e-readers, Kindles, and pad devices are made in China, many in Foxconn factories. Foxconn makes components used in all computers. Many, if not most, cell phones are made in China. So how many of these non-Apple products do you own?
This article pointed out that labor conditions are not a problem for most Chinese people. You can't change those attitudes easily. They are willing to endure the conditions just to have a job. Thuis is not to condone the working conditions--just saying it is a two-sided coin.
Tarp,
I don't have any I-phones or I-pads in my house. Yes I have a couple 4+ year old I-pod nanos.
You miss my point though. If the American consumer makes an example of a major manufacturer using Cheap labor, the rest will start to tremble wondering if they are next in line. It sends a message to these corporations that have outsourced their labor that "We the People" have the power to stand up to them.
Otherwise we keep buying their stuff and affectively approve of what they are doing.
BW,
So you approve of the out sourcing of jobs to China or any other country with cheap labor as long as you pay less for the end product?
Glory, so you think we should boycott Apple. Don't buy Apple products, right? Are you typing this boycott on a computer or smart phone? Wanna guess where the parts came from?
You only want to make an example of a successful company; to knock down the big dog. It does nothing to solve the problem because if you boycott them, you will still be buying from someone else that ALSO gets their parts from over in China. Don't let your emotions guide your intent (in which it did here). If you want to boycott ALL electronics, then fine. Do so and with most peoples blessings. Singling out one company won't solve one thing. Especially when you consider the fact that Apple is the only company to have these internal audits that are finding these conditions. Has Dell done the same? Sony? HP? IBM? Toshiba? You get the idea I think.
Are people here really foolish enough to think that only Apple deals with Foxconn? Come on now. If you want to stop practices like those that happen at Foxconn you better be boycotting just about all technology more advanced than the ICE.
well hound, you seem to have missed my point. take everything that is made in china out of your house and set it on the curb. this includes the 'fridge, stove, washer/dryer, microwave, etc. now, go to your vehicle whether it is a car/truck, moped/scooter, or hybrid and put it on the curb too because there are parts in it that are made in china also. check the labels on your shoes and flip flops and toss them also. get where i am going? i am not for sending jobs overseas. buying made in USA is tougher than you think or realize
Did I miss something? Chinese are lining up to work there, seems to me they are making their decision based on Apple, being a good place to work in comparison to what's available.
the story is not about apple, it is about foxconn. it deals with the working conditions in a manufacturing plant and the fact that people are lining up to get the jobs there. we can substitute nike or any other large corporation for apple in this story. it also brings up the difference in pay and other types of compensation. company housing, company cafateria, and company store (?) this way the company (foxconn) gets more out of the worker. think back to the coal mining towns where the employees could not afford to quit because they owed the company more money then they where paid. same thing in my humble opinion.
As far as I can determine, the Chinese are not forced to go to work at foxcon, they choose to work there. As far as not having the ability to quit for a better, or worse job, I do not have that information. Do you?
i have never read an article that deals with labor in china quiting. hired for life? ie. cradle to grave like it used to be in the USA? retirement? health care? i do not know
To the OWS protesters: Taken that some of you own those $700.00 iphones, America doesn't see you protesting at any Apple/Mac Stores. They made $13billion in profits with overseas labor! That's where you're jobs are! If you do set up camp there and you get tired and bored, you can take a stoll over to Walmart next!
If the consumer is not ready to make a concentrated stand someplace then they can expect those jobs to keep leaving this country. This country deficit spends meaning we borrow money from places like China to keep all those nice social services everybody loves and will re-elect those politicians that will continue to borrow to support those unsustainable programs. Does anyone really think those people in congress are going to grow a pair and legislate against the countries fitting the bill for the services that get them re-elected?
Those people not willing to do anything about it with the only real means they have might as well get ready to accept those same working conditions and wages since it is the only way we as a country can compete.
My 67 GMC work truck would continue to run great if all parts made in a foreign country were removed.
With the room for improvement and productivity needed to provide goods and services and increase the standards of living for everyone on this planet there should be no shortage of work anywhere. Yet people are unemployed. It's an aberration. I wonder who this aberration benefits.
Sadly, these factors cannot generate jobs at the same rate that our countries generate workers. Or rather, they can, as they have in the past, but recently something is keeping them back.
This is not the case in China, which is in the midst of industrialization, and thus is still making jobs by the thousands to employ the people leaving the countryside in droves. But in richer, developed countries, there should be no excuse.
The unemployed benefit no one, so I don't think it's intentional, but the reason is hard to pin down, especially when different schools of thought tend to push blame in different directions despite working with the same problem and evidence. Liberals will blame globalization and corporate greed. Governments will blame their political opponents and factors beyond their control. OWS blames the banks. Free marketeers like myself tend to think that governments make it too difficult to start and run a business, and distort the market with their policies.
There is no easy answer. But of course, at the end of the day when a few thousand positions open up at the soul-crushing factory, people line up for work, because working under inhumane conditions is still better than poverty.
SF i disagree with you, wants and needs are the true drivers of economies, as long as they involve some form of work, and people wanting to live to higher standards. also you cannot need or want to sit on your arse if you are physically or mentally healthy. if you are sick on those levels and you Work at fixing it, then economic activity is created and productivity of a person should be restored. if not SSI is the only solution.
You work hard long time..... little pay all the time......
if the Chinese worker wants better working conditions, just form a Union, ( of course you will be dead before the sun goes down.)
They have been demanding and getting better wages to the point that the really low skilled jobs are moving from China to Viet Nam, etc. There are peasants, sweat shops, and middle class as well as the ruling elite in China. They are tying to move people up the ladder as quickly as possible, not out of altruism but out of fear of major instability.
Their middle class is already larger than our entire population, and they have the same things we do, homes, cars, TV's, cell phones, computers, etc. Google "china traffic jamb" to get an eyeful.
Sounds like the same conditions i had when i was in the military. Pay was about the same but it was along time ago.
SO apple pays the makers of their phones @!$%# and turns around and charges $100s of dollars for them. Impressive, you actually make Microsoft look good. :P
Bill Gates helps alleviate world hunger & disease with Microsoft $. What good did Steve Jobs & Apple ever do?
Considering Apple is from extremely liberal San Francisco area makes it even more hypocritical.
OWS crowds love Apple, now THAT is hypocritical!
I loath Apple. IMHO Apple is just the Redheaded stepchild of IBM. Good riddance to Steve Jobs.
Apple is not the ONLY customer of Foxconn in China. All of the wiz kids' gizmos are- all of them.So trying to exert blame on the working conditions in China on Apple and belittle Steve Jobs' achievements is the American shoot from the hip never ask questions attitude. If you are so concerned about Chinese workers- look closer at home and the living conditions in US for migrant workers, or the housemaids/amahs in the middleclass American households.
Apple is one of the largest though. Unfortunately targetting all smart phone manufacturers will never happen since Americans don't know how to go without. You have to divide and attack the largest culprits by redirecting mass US purchasing power. This is how to institute a change in the way international business is done.
Amen! Couldn't agree with you more.
Apple is the target because they are on top of the heap currently. In regards to the article however, the chinese want the jobs because the pay is better and can offer their families more opportunities. Howerver, it still doesn't give Apple and the rest of the tech companies a pass on allowing these conditions.
I don't know of any major manufacturer who isn't in China, including GM, Ford, etc.
Again, they have grown so much that the really low paying stuff is moving elsewhere and their middle class is larger than our entire population. Capitalism DOES lift all boats but it can't happen over night, they've only been at it a few decades and they have billions of people.
Though we would view some of their working conditions appalling, the fact that they are clamoring for those jobs means it is a step up from where they would be otherwise. It sure is a damn sight better than their old Maoist socialist system where people were starving to death.
Yeah sure others do this to, but others didnt post a billion dollars a week profit last quarter, or boast 400k, in profit per slave...erm worker they have in china. And dont even try to tell me its from "making a better product" anybody worth thier salt in the tech industry will tell you that apple hardware is 5 years behind everyone else and yo uare charged twice what everyone else does.
aka they are selling you a car with a new body, but has the chasis, engine and suspension from 1984, but because everyone is told by hipsters who dont know @!$%# about @!$%# that they are cool, they charge ferrari prices for them.
I'm Maria a Greek girl, please have a look in my page & help if possible
To the memory of Steve - I never turned down a profitable endeavor - Jobs, I add the label Plantation Owner. One who employs slaves. serfs, puppets, underpaid and overly scorned non=humans as a base for claiming economical sainthood. @!$%# Steve Jobs and his legacy. His gift was Born in the Feudal age and never grew up, neither did he.
Every liberal I know owns Apple products and loves them. Jobs made all that possible. Again, name one major product that ISN'T made in China.
IBM
Oh, and Intel Processors.
HAH!....Let them eat pigeon...(old Chinese proverb)...
Just think...if the Chinese were paid a decent salary.....we wouldnt be able to buy all their tech gear
.....and then where would we be?
Plutocrats have to make a decent living, too!
Sure we would.
We'd just have to pay, like, fifty dollars more per unit.
Which might be a deal breaker for you, or maybe not. But no force on Earth would stop companies from making gadgets, and only bankruptcy will keep people from buying them.
Not even that, If apple can pull a billion a week in profit (like they just did) they can take a bit of a cut and pay those people more without raising prices.
Apple should be the one who fixes this if they demand better conditions they would no doubt be met. It is a shame Apples leadership has lost there values.
Apple didn't lose their values, this is not anything new or any change from the past. All major PC/phone/notepad manufacturers are in China.
This is from an Apple hater. Pure and simple. Nathan, how did you post this? On a computer? A smart phone or tablet? Wanna guess where the parts came from?
Once again I will say this: You are finding out about a lot of this BECAUSE of Apples internal audits on their suppliers. NO ONE ELSE is doing this. Not even whoever made your computer or phone. Why not raise hell with them instead? I will tell you why you and others are jumping on the anti-apple bandwagon: Herd Mentality.
Until you boycott ALL electronics sellers (including the one you own now) then you are just being a hypocrite.
So what if the chinese want jobs. Screw em !!! We need jobs here too. Bring back all of our over seas jobs, and you will begin to see our economy actually improve.
You miss the point. The Chinese want jobs and are willing to work in conditions that drive people to suicide. *This* is why our jobs went overseas. Our labor laws prevent conditions like these, which means it costs a lot more for companies to employ our workers. Companies won't bring back jobs until Americans are willing to compete -- which means working even longer hours for lower pay and in worse conditions, which is illegal here.
I think bringing these jobs back to america is a great idea. We should bring in special economic zones along the border with mexico and hire workers for $261 per month and then all of the high school educated people who are happy to sit around and complain about lack of opportunity can become migrant workers to compete with a superior labor force. By the way, I need someone to clean up the dog poop in my backyard, mow the lawn, take out the trash and wash my car...starting salary $261 per month.
As long as you are willing to house and feed them, sounds ok. ;-)
the chinese are in luck!!! obama and Democrats will surely keep sending jobs to china through overtaxation and over-regulation.
And under-regulation will just bring the Chinese's working conditions to our domestic plants.
Good grief...really? Trust me, those jobs were gone long before Obama stepped into office.
Re read Fab's post, he said Obama would KEEP sending jobs. He didn't start it but he IS accelerating it through over taxation and over regulation.
"And under-regulation will just bring the Chinese's working conditions to our domestic plants."
What domestic plants? We don't have any because of all the regulation and taxation that moved them all to China.
It's a vicious circle.
And...
Funny you mention that, there's actually an article in the Business section about how manufacturing is growing domestically for the fastest rate in years.
Why OUR jobs! If they want jobs let them create their own industries. They are some of the most intelligent people on the planet..surely they could invent stuff and manufacture it...if only their communistic government didn't sqelch their efforts. Anyone who thinks independently of their governemt ends up dead. Then they want other peoples jobs. These people have the intelligence to create their own teckie gadgets. If they are let to do so.I wonder what they would make...(besides babies).
Chinese people/government did not "force" any American companies to set up factories in China. American corporations did it on their own decision----they made a decision, investing in China is their best way to create more profits. If American workers really want to find somebody to blame, they should blame American business owners or the capitalistic system itself. The essence of capitalism is the maximization of profits. As for creating jobs, it's not their responsibility.
Lei Chen....you are absolutely right! Let us lay blame where blame is due. People work when they are presented wth a job. If these American corporations would quit offshoring, this would be a moot point. The government (over the past few decades...and ALL parties) has made it very attractive for these companies to do so. It is time we stood up and said enough.
Corporations are not socialist pawns, much as you would like. They exist to make a profit, no profit, no jobs, no union pensions, no 401K's, etc.
All of them are working within the law set up by your fascist government. Liberals had total control of government for two years, instead of worrying about jobs, they saddled us with Obamacare instead.
Politicians couldn't be bought if they weren't for sale, place the blame where it belongs. At least when a lobbyist gets something passed, they are working for their constituents, can you say the same about politicians?
Why are ya'll so upset about this? This has been going on for decades and decades on varying levels in different countries. I love this country, but some Americans are so damn naive!!!! Some of you want your cake and eat it too. You can't have it both ways people. Now some of you are turning against Jobs. Why? As one Chinese citizen said in the article, it was more the fault of the government that allows companies to come in and "exploit" their people. It is unfortunate that this happens, but it is what it is. Lastly, life just ain't fair and to think that a human chain can be formed around the world whereby we all live in harmony is beyond naive. If you don't like it, go over there and try and change it, but whatever you do stop with the self-righteousness and I sooooooo care about all of humanity, as you are texting on your gadget!!!!
Pandy,
Sorry to say that you are incorrect on your last sentence "but whatever you do stop with the self-righteousness and I sooooooo care about all of humanity, as you are texting on your gadget!!!!" Made in America, that gadget would cost $1,000 instead of the $300 made-in-China gadget that they bought from Apple.
Prices on manufactured goods are a composite of many things-not the least of which is labor cost. Ergo, if you want things made-in-America then be prepared to pay the much higher prices that labor adds to the end product.
THEY WANT JOBS? Send Obama and his smart asses over there. They'll straighten out that thought process.
Maybe we should send Bush 1 over there. That's where it all started. Obammy is just stuck with this mess. They all suck, so let's not just blame the current moron occupying the white house.
There were a couple of openings at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas (in the F&B Dept) and I applied, of course! Except that no one received confirmation on their submissions so I decided to ask the Chef who recommended me and he looked into it..... seems that over 13,000 people applied during the same 24 hour period that I did and brought their whole system down!!!! And you thing your unemployment stats are bad where you live? I've been looking for work for over 2 years......
Apple makes good products. Now they have to become a humanitarian and provide decent wages for hard work. It is the Chinese labor force that has made Apple products so desired. So pay them a decent wage with decent hours, Apple!
They should be paying AMERICANS a decent wage. After all, the US is the one buying the product. They need to show a little loyalty.
F China workers and Jobs
See, Mitch Daniels was correct during his rebuttal to the State of the Union speech when he praised Steve Jobs for creating many jobs. Too bad they're all in a communist country with standards just above slave labor. With praise like that you can clearly see how the Conservatives would legislate in regards to creating jobs here in America. It's all about greed/profit not economic stability or worker's standard of living.
The irony that you seem to have missed is that greed/profit is inevitably linked to economic stability and worker's standards of living. Greed and profit are better than anything else at creating good jobs (as well as bad ones, of course). This article tells all about the horrible manufacturing jobs, but Apple also employs lots of workers here in the United States that have good wages, benefits, and working conditions, and are just as important to the creation of their products.
Try creating economic stability and maintaining standards of living based on good will and happy feelings rather than greed and profit. It never ends well.
That's a lie. Apple employs thousands here and at competitive wages. All major companies use China, including Obama's jobs czar, GE's Inmelt. You know, the guy that admonished business to hire more and not a month later shut down an entire division and shipped it to China.
You can see how clearly Obama and democrats care about American jobs. What about those free trade agreements Obama asked congress to approve? What about the wind turbine deal Biden made with China? So much for liberal hypocracy.
You mean like the economic stability and worker's standard of living that we've been experiencing from 2001 to present? Like the anti-socialism capitalistic ideology whereby losses are socialized by the middle class for the bad behavior/actions of corporate and Wall Street leaders? Or propping up communism and communist ideals with free enterprise from America?
The issue is all the same, we have companies that arent satisfied with making 20, 40, or some reasonable % profit on a product, they have to make 1000's of %...Why? because we are dumb enough to buy the product no matter how much it cost, or where it was made.... I seem to remember a time when import cars were far and few in this country. You have a choice, but actual American made products or not, of course if you choose the later you really dont have a leg to stand on complaining about the economy or unemployment.
That's a pathetic lie. Name one company that has a 1000% or even 100% profit margin. Don't they teach even basic economics anymore???
We have citizens w/o jobs here in the US because companies such as APPLE out-souece their jobs to cheap labor nations. The sad part, conservative Republicans support this out-sourcing. As they say, the 99% should stand on their own w/o government assistance.
Another pathetic lie. Obama had total control for two years and what does he do? Hires GE's Inmelt to be his jobs czar and HE ships an entire division to China. Again, Biden brags about a wind turbine deal with China, and the widow of Jobs was Obama's guest at the SOTU.
Leftist propaganda is getting more absurd and strident by the day.
Ok. I am Chinese student studying in the US. Let me confirm that : $261 per month including housing and meals...it is definitely NOT bad at all for workers that level. In China, high school education is NOT compulsory (compulsory education stops at grade 9), kids DON'T go to high school unless they have very good grades or money to "buy" admission. Urban kids can still go to high school if their grades are bad----their parents can pay the high school to admit them. However, in the countryside, many people can't even finish the 9-year compulsory education, not to mention high school. Those are the people who line up for a job at factories at Foxconn. $261 per month with housing and meals is actually considered pretty good for people without high school education, no other skills or specialities. Fresh college graduates in China can't expect too much more than $261 a month!! And housing and meals are NOT provided by most employers!! That's why these people line up for a job at Foxconn, it is indeed very attractive to them! $261 is not really too much for Americans, I now make about $500 a week just as an intern. But in China, $261 is really really NOT too bad for somebody without sufficient education! Not to mention these folks don't have to pay for housing and meals!
Lei Chen,
Good for you that you can provide some insightful thoughts on the low-wage situation for this specific issue discussed in the article. The other difference, which I am sure that your cultural sensitivities forbid you from verbalizing, is the matter of the American work force.
In America, a preponderance of the population does graduate from high-school. However, the big disconnect is that many of those "graduates" can not read, spell, perform basic math functions, etc.
Notwithstanding these minor deficits in their education, the American masses still clamor for a wage to which they believe they are "entitled." Never mind that they should only expect a wage for which their education is valued. "Pay equal to value supplied" is a foreign concept to the masses in America, where the common mantra is "pay equal to my desires."
That's a good point, but still... the labor conditions are still rather galling.
I mean, that rate of suicide says that even some of the unskilled laborers decide it's not worth it to work there. Or, you know, keep living...
And there are never suicides here right? Do you know the meaning of "going postal"?? Get a clue.
Also, compare the cost of living here to China. Huge difference.
Please post data that shows the link to employment conditions and suicide rate and then demonstrate that it is the working conditions and not other factors.
Yes, there have been suicides at Foxconn. On the otherhand just last year at my place of employment 2 people committed suicide claiming work related issues in parting gifts for their families. 2 ouf of 5000+. I believe there were 7 cases of suicide at Foxconn Longhua campus over a 2 year period where as many as 320,000 people are employed.....you do the math.
Re: Plapen
What's all this bunk about education being tied to jobs and wages? Perhaps that is the way it is in China, but ask all of the debt laden, college educated 20-somethings in the U.S. where education got them. Fresh college graduates in the U.S. can't expect much more than Foxconn's employees. Either they can't find a job or they find part time work that pays peanuts (or, worse, they get an unpaid internship) whilst enjoying free room and board -- with mom and dad! Honestly, if a person wants a decent wage for skilled work, one's best bet anymore is to get a good trade. I *wish* education counted for something in the U.S. Unfortunately, in a competitive market like ours, one's career prospects hinge more upon whom one knows than what one knows.
Working for any company is a gamble, managers get where they are by knowing someone in upper management. Most have no people skills or understanding of real work. They treat their employees as devices of cost. When success happens off the back of the workers the managers take pride in their accomplishments and do not recognize the worker at all. Even with high pay situations can be miserable.
Ethical treatment has gone out the window, for shareholder dividends. This is why if you can invent something so that you may work for yourself is the best Idea. Large corporations are typically worse than small, but even in small family owned organizations where teamwork is talked about by management, its more often, if your not family your just a piece of crap and treated accordingly.
Just look at schools, the people that are in direct contact with students are treated like crap, while administration is highly paid and praised (mostly by each other), and teachers are told to do more with less. This should be the opposite, administration should be the lowest paid group, while the actual workers are the highest.
Just how many companies went out of business, while the CEOs were paid millions. These same CEOs that ran the company into the ground moves to another Company which will Highly Pay him, FOR FAILURE?
They have convinced us that they are smart and thus deserve more? And we hire them based on??????
So while everyone complains about China and Foxconn think about your own job here in the US. If your a manager, treat your employees with respect and you will find that they perform a better job. Include incentives and you will find that productivity and respect makes the company more profit. Its strange, as microsoft treats employees with respect and has the highest rate of employees that become millionaires, Apples stock is worth more, even though Steve Jobs treated most employees with disrespect. Many people left Apple for other jobs. Its more about stock prices than people. Perhaps that's why Bill Gates is still alive, he donates more to charities, than if you combine all the companies in the US. Perhaps Karma?
I have lived and worked overseas a lot. Let me tell you, while working conditions at North American and Western European companies' overseas factories and offices are certainly not up to the standards of their home countries, these employers almost always treat their workers much better than local employers.
I agree with you. At least in China, Foxconn's working and living conditions are definitely much better than those local employers. Many Local employers don't have any pressure from social responsibility or media, or are less exposed to international attention. Therefore, their way of treating the employees are beyond imagination. Also please remember that: people who work in those factories are considered disadvantage groups in China, they lack education, they don't even know their rights, let alone protecting themselves. Also, in China, there is such an abundant labor force, if a persond can't tolerate harsh working conditions, who demands too much from the employer, he will be easily replaced by somebody. They are not in a position to bargain.
Here's what I don't understand. People think that simply bringing back American companies and their manufacturing to the U.S. is going to solve an unemployment problem. I believe the U.S. will also have to ban ALL imports. It seems as if people don't realize companies from virtually every country in the world have their goods cheaply manufactured in China or Asia. Lets compare a company from brazil producing lightbulbs in China and a company from the U.S. producing lightbulbs in the U.S. Which lightbulb will be cheaper to purchase at Wal-Mart. I bet the lightbulb from Brazil via China. Whick lightbulb will most of the U.S. citizens purchase? The cheaper one. Just a thought!!
The US economy is no longer dependant on manufacturing, the US/Japan/Western Europe, don't have any advantage in manufacturing jobs. The problem with the US is: although its economy is already tranformed into a knowledge-based one, its education system fails to transform its labor force. People who complain about being unemployed are always those without sufficient education or skills. As I have mentioned above, I am a Chinese student in the US, my friends here, also from China, who are studying computer science, engieering, mathematics, statistics, information systems, material sciences, industrial engieering, computer engineering, biochemistry.....etc...all can easily find jobs in the US, the employers are more than willing to sponsor them for visa/green cards...they speak English as their second language, they've only been in the US for 2 or maybe 5, 6 years, they can still find jobs that pay more than $60,000 a year...
Very well put. During this recession college grads only had something like 5% unemployment, it was the unskilled labor force that really suffered.
Or socialist "entitlement" structured public school system has been a disaster for this country. Since personal responsibility is no longer praised, people think they can take ancient Greek, barely pass, and still think they can make $100K at some corporation, then turn around and call capitalism evil when they don't get it. HS grads think they deserve a "living wage" when there simply are no jobs that can support their entitlement expectations.
Illegals can come here with nothing a build a life yet they work for less than legals. I guess the American dream only applies to foreigners.
Given that countries that have real Socialist Models are kicking our butts in education, you may want to reconsider what you believe.
You may want to look at which states in the United States have the highest performing schools vs the lowest performing schools and you may be disheartened to learn that most of the highest performing States are those horrible liberal blue states while the lowest performing are those great conservative states...
As for illegals - if you believe in the Free Market you must realize that a real Free Market means that there should be no barriers to labor such as a countries borders - I mean - you aren't advocating that the Government stand in the way of businesses hiring who they want from where they want are you?
If you close the door on all imports, do you think these countries would accept our exports? There is a trade balance deficit, but overall our exports have increased tremendously ever since the inception of trade agreements (NAFTA) and such. closing the door on imports would kill our economy.