4 ms·

I wonder what happens when Western megacorps run out of third world to put their factories in.

mostlysimilar 4y ago
Hopefully put them in their home countries.
satvikpendem 4y ago
That means wages have equalized in every country, which is a good thing. I was talking with someone a few years ago who is from one of these third world countries who lamented that corporations were coming in. I asked them whether they thought the people who worked there would prefer a relatively stable factory job over backbreaking farm work, factory jobs which usually pay more than the average wage of the area anyway in order to entice people to start working there. Free trade is good.
- bryanrasmussen 4y ago
  >That means wages have equalized in every country, which is a good thing. maybe climate changes makes lots of hotter countries unlivable.
throwaway4good 4y ago
Foreign companies in China will probably do fine as they live in the real world and not in the wild world of politics and speculation. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64563855 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64563855 US-China trade hits record high despite rising tensions Trade between the US and China hit a record high last year even as their diplomatic relations deteriorated. Imports and exports between the two countries totalled $690.6bn (£572.6bn) in 2022, official figures show.
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
  Really not sure what trade relations between the US and China has to do with the very general strategic practice of placing factories in countries with low wages and limited worker rights, in order to cut costs.
  - throwaway4good 4y ago
    China is not the cheapest place in terms of labour costs. Hasn't been for decades. But my point is that contrary to the rhetorics and the politics, western countries hasn't stopped trading with China, actually the opposite has happened.
twblalock 4y ago
Increased investment in automation. Factory work is not going to come back to the west in a big way. Labor costs would make goods more expensive than customers would be willing to pay. When there are no more humans willing to do the work for cheap, which will happen when the third world catches up with the first world, everyone (including third-world factories) will pivot to robotics and automation as much as possible.
tim333 4y ago
Robots.

Hopefully put them in their home countries.

That means wages have equalized in every country, which is a good thing. I was talking with someone a few years ago who is from one of these third world countries who lamented that corporations were coming in. I asked them whether they thought the people who worked there would prefer a relatively stable factory job over backbreaking farm work, factory jobs which usually pay more than the average wage of the area anyway in order to entice people to start working there. Free trade is good.

bryanrasmussen 4y ago
>That means wages have equalized in every country, which is a good thing. maybe climate changes makes lots of hotter countries unlivable.

throwaway4good 4y ago

Foreign companies in China will probably do fine as they live in the real world and not in the wild world of politics and speculation. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64563855 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64563855 US-China trade hits record high despite rising tensions Trade between the US and China hit a record high last year even as their diplomatic relations deteriorated. Imports and exports between the two countries totalled $690.6bn (£572.6bn) in 2022, official figures show.

mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
Really not sure what trade relations between the US and China has to do with the very general strategic practice of placing factories in countries with low wages and limited worker rights, in order to cut costs.
- throwaway4good 4y ago
  China is not the cheapest place in terms of labour costs. Hasn't been for decades. But my point is that contrary to the rhetorics and the politics, western countries hasn't stopped trading with China, actually the opposite has happened.

twblalock 4y ago

Increased investment in automation. Factory work is not going to come back to the west in a big way. Labor costs would make goods more expensive than customers would be willing to pay. When there are no more humans willing to do the work for cheap, which will happen when the third world catches up with the first world, everyone (including third-world factories) will pivot to robotics and automation as much as possible.

tim333 4y ago

Robots.