Cambodia garment workers throw stones at riot police during a strike near a factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 3, 2014 AP/HENG SINITH PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – At least four people were killed Friday when police outside Cambodia’s capital opened fire to break up a protest by striking garment workers demanding a doubling […]
WHITE HOUSE (CNN) —The White House is finally following up on an initiative in 2013’s State of the Union, just three weeks before he lays out his new agenda for this year. President Obama will host an event in the East Room on Thursday to announce what they refer to as “Promise Zones”- economically hard-hit […]
This week, two new data sets will tell us just how well “Made in America” is doing as we begin 2014. Today, the Department of Commerce released international trade data for November. And, on Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the employment situation report for December. This morning’s trade data has a major bearing on economic growth and our […]
Stephenie Anderson inspects some of the yarn her new processing plant is turning out. | JOHN STENNES Forum News Service FOSSTON — Stephenie Anderson’s timing for starting a wool-processing plant in Fosston is spot-on. So says Bill Batchelder, president of Bemidji Woolen Mills, and Jim Stordahl, an extension agent in Polk County. “There’s a renaissance […]
The fate of Democrats’ effort to revive long-term unemployment benefits that expired Dec. 28 will hinge on meeting Republican demands to cover the bill’s $6.4 billion cost. A small group of Senate Republicans are seeking a bipartisan compromise to pay for the benefit extension, the opening bid in Democrats’ 2014 election-year agenda focused on helping low-and middle-income […]
A pickup in hiring at factories is helping to support the increase in employment. | Photographer: Justin Ide/Bloomberg Companies added more workers than projected in December as U.S. employers grew more optimistic about the prospects for demand, a private report based on payrolls showed today. Companies in U.S. Added 238,000 Jobs in December. The 238,000 increase […]
Maker’s Row and Cotton Incorporated have announced their partnership that aims to further educate and connect textile brands with U.S. cotton suppliers and manufacturers. Through the efforts of their partnership, Maker’s Row, an online platform providing product-based businesses direct access to domestic manufacturers, and Cotton Incorporated, the research and marketing company representing America’s cotton producers […]
American corporations that off-shored manufacturing to China for two decades are bringing jobs home. A decade ago, jobs were on a nearly one-way street to the People’s Republic. In 2003, when 150,000 manufacturing jobs went to China, 2,000 came this way, says Harry Moser, head of the Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit group that tracks U.S.-China […]
Workers at a Foxconn plant assemble electronic circuit boards (AFP) Reversing a Decade of Job Losses What does a manufacturer do when it’s struggling with excessive costs? One of the most common reactions in recent years has been to pack up and move to another country or continent where it can bring its costs of […]
Conventional wisdom says it’s cheaper to produce things in Asia than in North America, which is why U.S. electronics brands have steadily outsourced nearly all their product manufacturing to companies based in the Far East during the last few decades. US-Made Moto Xs Cost Comparable to Asian-Assembled Smartphones. However, with just one product—the Moto X—Motorola may […]
