WASHINGTON—In another sign that America is becoming more competitive in manufacturing, the United States is now equal to Mexico in “attractiveness” as a source for manufacturing operations and is on track to achieve cost parity with manufactured imports from China by 2015. That’s according to new research released by AlixPartners.
SHENZHEN, China—Foxconn, which was plagued by worker suicides a few years ago, has denied a report that a female employee jumped from the roof of one of its assembly plants here last week.
MEXICO CITY—A decade ago, wages in Mexico were six times higher than in China. In 2011, they are only 40 percent higher. That, along with other factors, is spurring a growing number of manufacturers to move production from China to Mexico.
SHANGPU, China—Farmers here clashed with police and set up barricades to protest what they say is an unauthorized government seizure of their land to build a new factory.
BEIJING—Foxconn is freezing hiring of assembly-line workers in China after a greater than normal number of employees returned to work following the Lunar New Year holiday.
GUANGZHOU, China—In an irony of China’s growing middle class, factory jobs go begging while many educated young workers are unemployed or underemployed. A national survey of urban residents showed that among people in their early 20s, those with a college degree were four times as likely to be unemployed as those with only an elementary school education.
BEIJING—Air pollution levels were literally off the charts here over the weekend, reportedly reducing visibility to about 100 yards in some areas and prompting some flight cancellations. Residents in several Chinese cities have been advised to stay indoors, and at least four deaths have been blamed on the smog.