Will the phrase "Made in America" become a thing of the past?

Question

With so many manufacturing sites, and so many jobs going over-seas, will there come a time when nothing is made in America, or will this trend stop and reverse as more Americans become unemployed?

Answer 1

Yes I know it is a thing of the past. I worked as a union member for nearly 20 yrs as a steel worker. I watch factorys manufacturing companies leave us to go overseas or down south. Oh yes I was a california gal and in the 70s you could go out and find at least three opportunities and you yourself could choose what job you wanted. No it is not that way anymore. I saw friends lose their good paying jjobs, we laughed but cried when our jobs left us. b We had to go into another field of work and that was hard when you are pushing 45 to 50 yrs old.

Answer 2

We're always going to provide manufactured goods, intellectual property and services. I do wonder how long and to what degree we can sustain our trade imbalance, specifically with the sheiks (oil) and Chinese. Our current account deficit (broad measure of trade) is running at about 6.5% of GDP. My guess is that the world won't take paper for goods forever, and if they do, they are fools (I would gladly give you personal IOUs for goods for the rest of my life if you would like that arrangement).

One reason for the popular perception that we don't make anything is that the low intensity manufactured goods are more cheaply made abroad, and these are the items the average person has greater contact with. Textiles (clothes), toys and most consumer electronics are made overseas. But what about airplanes, farm equipment and software? We have moved up the value chain tremendously in the past 50 years, but it will be a challenge to defend this position.

India and China (not to mention Russia and Brazil) graduate a lot more engineers and scientists than we do. Further, we make immigration a very difficult challenge for the many talented people who want to be here, so they stay where they are and compete with our companies. Finally, the developing world doesn't have a great track record of respecting intellectual property. It is estimated that 92% of software and 98% of pharmaceuticals in China are rip-offs of Western innovation.

Answer 3

I don't think it will be, at least not for a while, and I think that many companies will stay in america for many reasons, so I wouldn't worry yet!

Answer 4

Maybe it will. I'm not sure though.