Why isnt anything manufactured in the United States?

Question

I was looking at all my clothes labels and everything else. Nothing is manufactured here. Why is that?

Answer 1

Actually about 22% of worldwide production is manufactured in the United States. The website listed compiled a business directory of more than 420,000 US manufacturers, the largest such number in the world. We manufacture more than twice as much as China, but they are quickly doubling their share of world production (probably around 10% of worldwide manufactures right now, but this last number is an approximation from earlier readings, so please research further before taking it!). Additionally, 23% of our workforce is involved in manufacturing (it's about 32 million workers). US manufacturing is very much alive, but we're seeing that a lot is made overseas because a larger variety of goods are outsourced and imported as labor costs are cheaper (remember, it's not only the cost of living that is less, but overseas firms do not have to pay millions, if not BILLIONS, to insure their employees as US firms do - foreign governments provide this to their workers!).

While your clothing and your mobile phone may be made in China and South Korea, the US is still making all sorts of things, including high-end clothing and cheaper textiles like underwear. We're making planes and helicopters at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, UTI, Cessna and multiple others. We're manufacturing drugs and medicines, industrial and chemical goods, spacecraft, computers and microprocessors. We're making cars, not only Fords, Chevys, Dodge, Jeep, Saturn and Chrysler, but many of our Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas, Hyundais, BMWs, Volkswagens and others are manufactured right here in the US despite foreign ownership.

We'll see an increase in the number and variety of items manufactured abroad, but I think we'll see an increase of those items made here as well. It's not so bleak, we're still making stuff!

Answer 2

Way back when...post Korean War...everything was made in Korea. Now everything is made in China. It is so cheap to manufacture goods in China and have them imported to the U.S. that pretty much everything you can turn upside down has a "made in China" sticker on the bottom. Initially this happened to spur the Chinese economy because during the 70's it sucked rotten eggs!. Not too long ago it was a country of bicycle riders now its a country full of entreprenuers and computer geeks....although its still mostly farmland and communism is the religion of the day, its demand for oil and McDonalds french fries has skyrocketed!
I think the only way the United States will start producing most of its goods is if the whole country's financial sytem collapsed and WE were the ones who needed a kick in the ol moneybags.
With the turn of recent events in China's toy recall and the suicide of the owner of a Chinese toy company, I dont think I trust China to " give me the goods"....now I think they are giving me the shaft!

Maybe one day everything will have " made in Mexico" stickers instead. That could be the answer to the imigration problem perhaps.

Answer 3

In conjunction, what is the United States? the United States is a melting pot of people from all nations. Native Americans came to North America. European came on ships.
Can the United States truly say, "Indeed, THIS is US food!!" ??
burgers from germany, pizza from italy. steak? sandwhiches? pies? drinks? deserts?

Answer 4

cheaper labor (not necessarily in poor countries). china's econmy is booming because of all of the u.s. companies send their labor and work over there. it's hard to believe that it's cheaper for companies to ship back and forth, back and forth, and page wages, and still be less than if it were made here! i try to buy anything i can that's made in america. toothpaste, for example. we now use aquafresh because it's the only one i found that was made over here.

Answer 5

if you were a company would you rather pay an American min. wage or higher, or go to say Mexico or China and pay someone .10 cents an hour and they work 15 hour days?

Answer 6

'cause it's cheaper to do it in China then ship it back over to the US and quadruple the price to make a bigger profit for the companies

Answer 7

cost of labor in US, cost savings in underdeveloped countries from lack of health / safety / child labor / welfare / employment / environmental / quality regulations, different tax basis in foreign countries, insane focus on short term profits by US companies, and lack of enforcement of fair trade regulations

Answer 8

Cheaper labour in poorer countries.

Answer 9

Because american corporations like to use cheap labour in Asian countries to increase their profits. This benefits the american corporations but not the american people.

Answer 10

You can thank the Labor Unions for that.....they force employers to pay their employees more and thus drives up the cost of the product!