In The News

Kevin Sullivan November 29, 2005
Janis Neulans is a Latvian laborer embarking on a journey that is becoming more and more common these days. Neulans travelled from Latvia to Ireland, where he felt that he could build the type of life for himself that is not possible in his home country. Since Latvia and nine other countries were added to the European Union in May 2004, nearly 450,000 people, most of them from the same strained...
Amelia Gentleman October 31, 2005
Over the recent years, India’s ability to earn contracts from Western companies looking to outsource services has been seen as a globalization success story. Call centers, where Indian employees handle questions and offer support to Western consumers have become a major new industry in India, and have been portrayed as providing “good salaries and new career opportunities in the developing world...
David Streitfeld October 19, 2005
This week, union workers at Delphi Corp. and General Motors will take drastic cuts in their pay and benefits. While the United States may be enjoying an economic recovery, workers in the auto industry and across the nation are contemplating lower wages just to keep their jobs. At the same time, they face a cost of living that has been rising faster than wage increases. But American workers may...
Alexander Osang October 13, 2005
“We left that city like the colonial powers left Africa,” lamented the ex-head of personnel at what was one of the largest textile mills in North Carolina. In 2003, the Pillowtex plant, based in the city of Kannapolis, closed and laid off its five thousand workers overnight. In a region where unionization was militantly discouraged, the mill provided an entire framework of life for the community...
Hassan M. Fattah September 25, 2005
More than half of Dubai's one million people are poor immigrants from South Asia and the Philippines. Eight hundred of those residents, dissatisfied workers who have not been paid in five months, recently marched on the emirate's Ministry of Labor. It was a rare show of labor unrest in a city-state that tolerates much in the name of business and little in the way of dissent. Even more...
Daniel Howes September 14, 2005
When auto executive Mark Fields takes his position at the head of Ford's North and South American operations next month, he will face losses of US$1 billion per quarter and corporate debt rated "junk." To spur the company's recovery, industry analysts have revealed that Ford will double the number of parts that it outsources to low-cost countries. According to Detroit News...
Dagnachew Teklu September 7, 2005
Brain drain may claim yet another victim in Africa—the continental airline industry. A recent conference held by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) emphasized the degree to which the loss of highly trained pilots, mechanics and other workers is taking a serious toll on the industry. African air companies invest heavily in education and training for employees, only to see their workforce...