Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Factory Jobs Moving Overseas—From China to US

It's a slow trickle, but some companies are 'reshoring'

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2012 3:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – Manufacturing jobs are on the move, and this time, they're headed to the US. More and more companies are "reshoring" parts of their operations, bringing a steady trickle of jobs from Chinese plants to American ones, the Wall Street Journal reports. With the dollar dropping, and Asian wages and shipping costs rising, producing goods overseas "is not as big of a no-brainer as it was 10 years ago," says the manager of a plant that recently won back Whirlpool's hand-mixer business.

Of course, that Whirlpool coup created only about 25 jobs. But reshoring cheerleaders say job gains are likely to grow as more goods are produced here. One nonprofit campaigning for reshoring estimates that 25,000 have been brought back in recent years, and a recent survey of 105 companies found that 39% were considering reshoring. "It's not that there's going to be a flood back to the US," says a representative from the Manufacturers Alliance—Asia remains attractive for many goods—but it's no longer the default.

This Jan. 25 photo shows coils of brass inside Master Lock company in Milwaukee, Wis. Master Lock recently returned about 100 jobs from Asia to the US.
This Jan. 25 photo shows coils of brass inside Master Lock company in Milwaukee, Wis. Master Lock recently returned about 100 jobs from Asia to the US.   (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Whirlpool recently returned its hand-mixer production to the US, though it only created about 25 jobs.
Whirlpool recently returned its hand-mixer production to the US, though it only created about 25 jobs.   (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, file)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
4%
10%
3%
83%
1%
0%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
chillette
May 23, 2012 4:41 AM CDT
I have been telling people this for the last year and even posted it in another article recently. Don't get too hyper though because it will take at least a decade to get manufacturing roaring again in the United States. Outsourcing has never been as profitable as touted and has produced many headaches. Countries like China and India are seeing growing social unrest and workers in those countries will attack when disgruntled. Thanks to the Bush/Cheney wars it will be harder to sell the American public on using the military to protect assets of  outsourced corporations. Then there have  big cultural blunders like the disastrous handling of the Commonwealth Games by India. The premise was that India would stage a big production that would bring more companies to their shores. It did the exact opposite and caused more corporations to question the costs and cultural issues associated with outsourcing. Bribes and protection money in many foreign countries have cut into profits.
myflap.blow
May 22, 2012 11:37 PM CDT
too bad this has nothing to do with creating jobs but "With the dollar dropping, and Asian wages and shipping costs rising" it's just about the bottom buck as usual. You know though, maybe the record-profit oil companies are saving us after all? Of course! Raise the price of fuel real high so overseas shipping costs so much that it drives jobs back to the US so peoples can get back to driving their gas guzzlers to and from work every day again. It's three-birds-with-one-stone brilliant!
truefreedom
May 22, 2012 11:00 PM CDT
People are tired of buying expensive crap from China that's made cheaply and they're also tired of seeing people being laid-off from well paying manufacturing jobs. That's another reason.
Money • US

 
outsourcing • manufacturing • jobs • reshoring

 
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne