Foxconn have raised their wages significantly over the last decade and a half; This is hardly unexpected.<p>This is how Foxconn's wages have looked since 2004 --<p>2004: 380 RMB<p>2006: 400 RMB<p>2007: 600 RMB<p>2008: 700 RMB<p>2009-July 2010: 900 RMB<p>July 2010: 1200 RMB<p>Oct 2010: 2000 RMB after 6 month probationary period at 1200 RMB<p>April 2011: 2390 RMB after 6 month probation period at 1590 RMB<p>2012: 2590 after 6 month probation period at 2190 RMB
Foxconn also has plans to install millions of assembly robots in the next few years.<p>All of this push to raise employee pay will more than likely speed up the adoption of automation and end up drastically cutting unskilled jobs a bit faster.
Hmmm... What an interesting paradox.<p>What made manufacturing jobs go to China in the first place was the extremely low wages and lack of red tape, worker benefits, safety, bureaucracy, etc...<p>In the past months wages in China have risen enough to make some US companies return jobs to the US because they were no longer saving money in China. This was predicted to happen at some time around 2015 but we're seeing much earlier. The better the Chinese get paid the less of a reason companies will have for outsourcing in the first place. Why? Because by insourcing manufacturing back to the US businesses have more control, don't have to worry about IP theft, and don't have to wait a month for shipments to come back from China.<p>Basically:<p>Chinese are treated like crap = backlash from consumers + bad for workers + but more jobs for the Chinese. Chinese workers treated better = more approval for consumers + better for Chinese workers + but less jobs for China.