issues in global trade and finance

a study of the global nature of our economy and the effects of the global economy

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Chinese turn from factories

In China, many factory workers, especially young women between the ages of eighteen and twent-four, are giving up working in urban factories for farming jobs closer to their villages. This change of lifestyle is causing a shortage of labor for many factories, especially the Daojiong Hequn Plastic Processing factory. This plant makes fake hair for toy dolls. Their workforce primarily consists of young women. This is because they are less likely to have to miss work due to family reasons and are more tolerant of poor working conditions. Chinese factory workers are promised higher wages than they receive and also live in cramped, undersized dormatories. They work long hours and the factories are dirty and hot. In the past, the factories were basically the only way a person could make decent wages in China. That is changing now because farming is becoming more popular there. The workers no longer need to travel long distances from their villages to work in the factories. They can now make comprable money at home and do not have to pay for the living expenses of the cities anymore.
I think this change is good for the factory workers and bad for the factory owners. If the owners want to keep workers they are going to have to improve working conditions and increase employee wages. People no longer need a factory job to make a living, so the factories are going to have to find some way to appeal to the workers they need to produce their goods. In order for working conditions to improve, wages will have to increase also. I think the factories will probably try to find other countries where people need the money and have no other option but to work in the factories, regardless of their condition, and carry out production there. I think that it would be less expensive for the factories to move than to try to clean up and pay higher wages to their employees. The right thing to do would be to clean up their act, but people don't always do what is right. Money is a powerful thing and I think the factories will just move to where the work force is more acceptable to their facilities.


2 Comments:

  • At 10:01 PM, jaywall14 said…

    the website where this article is at is www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6094621

     
  • At 6:10 PM, tasha said…

    It is very important to have good working conditions-no matter the age or sex. Farming is a natural way of commercing. It's cleaner and provides a better self worth. What better way to interact w/ your family while making money!

     

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