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Factories and Jobs: Back to Making Stuff

Manufacturing still matters, but the jobs are changing. In recent years, increased levels of outsourcing, offshoring and the growth of sophisticated supply chains have encouraged numerous companies all over the world to use China, India and other lower-wage countries as workshops. However, Western policy-makers are in the process of reconsidering this arrangement compliments of the global financial crisis. These policy makers argue that manufacturing in their own countries will create work and prevent more manufacturing skills from being exported. Yet, America’s rate of production advancement begs the question: how many manufacturing jobs, particularly of the white-collar variety, will be created?

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