Those pesky more-than-two-dollars-a-day wages.
It seems some factory owners in China might be getting a taste of their own medicine, as it were. According to reports out of local media, the southern city of Shenzhen might lose its status as the dominant Christmas-gift manufacturer in the world.
Why? The strict enforcement of minimum wage and overtime work rules.
“The working environment is worse for us, and I’m afraid I have to move my factory out of here soon,” the China Daily reported one factory owner saying.
Apparently, the city’s labor department is keeping tabs on overtime hours, which max out at 36 per week. The government has also raised the minimum wage for workers from the equivalent of about $73 a month to close to $100.
A worse environment, indeed.
So what’s a strapped factory owner to do? Outsource … to Western China.
