January 31, 2012

bmichael asked: Hey thanks for the reblog, and your comments were really insightful. Reading through the Chinese letters to the NYT (they published them a day or so after the first story), there was a good mix of voices for and against working at the electronics factories. I can see why people would be for it — there are no jobs otherwise. Why do you think it is that there's such a lack of jobs, though? It seems weird, since China exports so much. Where does the money go, and why don't people there have any?

Yo bro.

It’s not that there are a lack of jobs - there are plenty, but they don’t pay as well as those in electronics. The problem is a lack of labor. China’s population is much smaller than it was ten years ago due to the one child per household rule. The garment factory workers of ten - twenty years ago, who are now aging, sent money back to their families so that the children were able to study engineering. Now those kids work for FoxConn. Wages are rising, factory conditions are improving, but China still has a long way to go. Apple could do so much right now to improve working conditions. Sure, other companies have had factory issues, and they even exist here is the US, but frankly, I hold Apple to a different standard. They are not like the average garment manufacturer. Apple has the power to do more than turn a quick buck, and yet here they are, failing at humanity.

Also, regarding jobs: as the minimum wage rises, manufacturers are naturally searching for less costly labor in other countries. Not to mention that ten years ago there were incentive programs offered by the Chinese government. Those programs ceased about five years ago. So Apple pays FoxConn for cheap labor, FoxConn pays better than garment factories, the few workers in China flock to FoxConn, and garment factories move to other countries.

11:13am
(Notes: 8)
  
  1. sherry posted this