Monday, April 10, 2006

Labor Shortage in China may Lead to Trade Shift

China is always considered as a country that has relative abundance of labor and good at producing labor-intensive goods in the international trade. However, there comes a labor shortage at many Chinese factories according to this article, which will affect the global market for manufactured goods and the international trade. The shortage of workers will push wages up, which increases the cost of making productions in China. As a result, the supply curve will shift to the left and the price of production made in China will increase in the international market. No wonder that international manufacturers are already talking about moving their factories to lower-cost countries like Vietnam and try to decrease their cost.
Economists suggest that the shortages will be covered if companies improve their labor conditions and give their workers more benefits and incentives. It definitely will cost them more. What is your opinion about this situation? China is no longer the lowest-cost producer. What do you think international companies should do? Move to Vietnam, India and Bangladesh?

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