In The News

Promises Trump Can’t Keep

Nayan Chanda November 28, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump made big promises on trade and jobs that will be tough to keep without wrecking key industries along with the global economy. Essentially, he suggested that he could restore US manufacturing jobs by blocking new trade deals like the Tans-Pacific Partnership and walking back on old deals like the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement. The plan has problems. Such trade...

How Can We Tackle Abuse in the Global Garment Industry?

Alice Evans November 24, 2016
In the face of rampant labor exploitation in the clothing industry, many unions in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh are trying to increase the minimum wage and improve working conditions. In the mutual pursuit of financial gain by countries and corporations, the “mobility of capital (and immobility of labour) creates a global race to the bottom,” notes Alice Evans for the...

China's Shrinking Workforce Affects Economic Transition, Expert Says

Coco Feng November 23, 2016
The size of China’s labor force, including people between the ages of 16 and 59, has declined for three years since 2012. The total is 906 million workers, down from just over 910 million. The government anticipates the workforce shrinking to 700 million by 2050. The decline is especially sharp for semi-skilled blue-collar workers as more youth pursue college studies and prefer work in the...

In Your Phone, In Their Air

Peter Whoriskey October 28, 2016
Lithium batteries in smartphones and laptops include graphite. “The companies making those products promote the bright futuristic possibilities of the ‘clean’ technology,” reports Peter Whoriskey for the Washington Post. “But virtually all such batteries use graphite, and its cheap production in China, often under lax environmental controls, produces old-fashioned industrial pollution.” China...

Prepare for the 21st Century Exodus of Migrants

Joseph Chamie September 27, 2016
Cross-border immigration accounts for much of the population growth in developed countries with low fertility rates. Such immigration has also become an election issue around the globe. Joseph Chamie, former director of the UN Population Division, urges countries to assess demographic changes and engage in thorough planning to provide adequate education, health care, security as well as food and...

Hawaiian Seafood Caught by Foreign Crews Who Are Confined on Boats

Martha Mendoza and Margie Mason September 16, 2016
Some fishing fleets along the US West Coast rely on foreign crews confined onboard for months at a time even when the vessels are in port. Federal laws allow the immigrant labor with low wages and no labor protections for what is ranked among the most dangerous jobs in the world. “With no legal standing on U.S. soil, the men are at the mercy of their American captains on American-flagged,...

Despite Fears, Mexico's Manufacturing Boom Lifts US Workers

Natalie Kitroeff September 2, 2016
Automation is transforming manufacturing, reducing jobs and need for skills. A Los Angeles Time article describes apprenticeships for young Mexicans working alongside robots in a BMW plant in Mexico. US presidential candidates question the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but many companies – including those from outside the US – are shifting operations from China to Mexico....